July 15, 2026
Introducing Our Heat, Health, & Homelessness Community Learning Series
As summer temperatures continue to rise across New Mexico, so do the health risks facing our community—especially for people experiencing homelessness.
Extreme heat is more than an inconvenience. It is a public health emergency that increases the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, worsening chronic illness, and even death. As our climate changes, understanding these impacts and working together to build healthier, more resilient communities has never been more important.
That’s why Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless is excited to launch our new Heat, Health, & Homelessness Community Learning Series, a community forum designed to bring together public health professionals, students, health care providers, environmental advocates, service organizations, and community members for thoughtful discussions about climate, health, and equity.
We’re grateful to Flock of Moons Brewing Company for partnering with us to host this series and for creating a welcoming space where our community can gather, connect, and learn together.
Session One: Climate Health Chats
Thursday, July 30
6:00–7:30 p.m.
Flock of Moons Brewing Company
We’ll kick off the evening with a casual mix-and-mingle beginning at 6:00 p.m., followed by our featured speaker presentation and then finishing off with a panel discussion and opportunity to answer questions.
Our first conversation will explore the broader relationship between climate and community health. Together, we’ll discuss how rising temperatures, poor air quality, and our built environments influence health outcomes—and what communities can do to become more resilient in the face of a changing climate.
Meet Our Featured Speaker
Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg, MPH, CEM
Nathaniel is a founding board member for Healthy Climate New Mexico and is the Director for Climate and Disaster Resilience at Americares, a health-focused, international relief and development organization.
Nathaniel is also an affiliate instructor with the University of Washington’s Center for Climate, Health, and Global Environment. Nathaniel has extensive experience in integrating and operationalizing climate adaptation research into emergency management and public health emergency preparedness programs.
Nathaniel was born and raised in Albuquerque.
Our Panelists:
Daniella Matthews-Trigg (she/her)
Daniella is a Vital Strategies embedded staff member with the New Mexico Department of Health Harm Reduction Program, where her work focuses on the intersections of harm reduction, homelessness, climate change, and public health. Originally from New Mexico, Daniella has a background in public health and social work. She studied at Mills College in Oakland, California, and earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University in New York.
Current projects in her role include collaborating on a needs assessment of people experiencing homelessness and providers in rural New Mexico, developing and coordinating an educational campaign on safety during extreme temperatures for people who use drugs and people who are unsheltered, and coordinating with statewide homelessness initiatives and provider networks.
Outside of work, Daniella enjoys camping and mushroom hunting, keeping up with reality television and admiring the amazing New Mexico sunsets.
Ashley Proud, MSc, LLM
Ashley Proud (she, her) joins Healthy Climate New Mexico as Executive Director following a long career in nonprofit leadership in humanitarian and human rights organizations.
Her work is grounded in her background as a qualified Occupational and Organisational Psychologist and enriched by nearly two decades of leadership in humanitarian and development nonprofits across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. She also holds a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Edinburgh School of Law.
Ashley has witnessed the impacts of climate change directly in the course of her work in conflict zones in Darfur, Sudan and in Syria. The changes in weather patterns and increasing desertification in both countries led directly to conflict, huge displacement and human cost.
With over 20 years of experience leading humanitarian teams in places like Darfur, Syria, Iraq, and Myanmar, Ashley brings depth, empathy, and global insight to Healthy Climate New Mexico. She now lives with her family at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Looking Ahead: Heat & Homelessness
The conversation continues on Thursday, August 20, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. at Flock of Moons Brewing Company.
Our second session will focus specifically on heat and homelessness—examining why people experiencing homelessness are disproportionately affected by extreme heat, the increased risks of heat-related illness and mortality during the summer months, and the strategies communities can implement to prevent these entirely preventable deaths.
Together, we’ll explore the intersection of housing, public health, emergency response, and climate resilience while highlighting local efforts to protect our most vulnerable neighbors.
Join the Conversation
Whether you’re a public health professional, student, healthcare provider, environmental advocate, policymaker, service provider, or simply someone who cares about building a healthier community, we invite you to join us.
Meaningful change begins with conversation. By bringing together diverse voices and perspectives, we can better understand the challenges posed by climate change and work collectively toward solutions that ensure every member of our community has the opportunity to stay healthy and safe.
We hope you’ll join us on July 30 as we begin this important community conversation.
