With heat advisories blanketing the eastern half of the US, air conditioners are once again working overtime as essential resources, yet remain unevenly distributed, leaving millions of poor households without access. A growing number of programs are now providing free AC units, with waiting lists in the thousands, viewing them as critical public health interventions to reduce heat-related deaths and alleviate poverty. Heat-related fatalities have doubled over the last quarter century, with extreme heat impacting productivity, cognitive development, and overall well-being. Kai Chen, an environmental health researcher at Yale University, emphasized that "each individual heat-related death is preventable," noting that AC use has drastically reduced mortality and without it, US heat-related deaths would likely double, particularly for older adults. Approximately 14 million US households lack air conditioning, with disparities pronounced in low-income and minority communities. In New York City, for instance, 10% of households lack AC, a figure that doubles in many Black, Latino, and low-income neighborhoods, contributing to over 500 heat-related deaths annually. To combat this, New York's Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides ACs to eligible low-income households, and Governor Kathy Hochul recently launched a program offering units to low-income adults with asthma. Danielle Holahan, executive director at New York State of Health, highlighted the importance of such initiatives as extreme weather events become more frequent. However, these vital programs face significant funding challenges. Federal money for many state-level heating and cooling relief efforts is in jeopardy, and energy-efficiency tax credits have been cut. The New York program's bedrock, the Essentials Healthcare Plan, faces potential eligibility cuts for 730,000 enrollees due to changes in the Affordable Care Act. Local non-governmental groups also report immense demand; St. Vincent de Paul in Cincinnati has a waiting list exceeding 2,700 people for its free AC program, despite a funding shortfall for the current year. Laila Atalla, a building decarbonization expert at clean energy nonprofit RMI, stressed that cooling is transitioning from a luxury to an essential for health and safety. She advocates for energy-efficient heat pumps as an ideal solution due to their reliability, smaller environmental footprint, and cost reduction. Following a deadly 2021 heat dome, Portland, Oregon, launched "Cooling Portland" to install heat pumps in high-risk households, exceeding its 2027 goal of 15,000 units this summer. Funded by a 1% surcharge on local billion-dollar corporations, this initiative also addresses racial cooling disparities, serving a significant proportion of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents. Atalla urged local governments and utilities to leverage existing funds for energy efficiency programs, noting that complex applications and inconsistent eligibility currently deter low-income households from accessing incentives. She also highlighted the importance of energy bill assistance and policies preventing utility disconnections during extreme heat events to ensure safety.