PHOENIX — Public health officials in Arizona’s most populous county reported Wednesday that they confirmed as many as 645 heat-related deaths last year — more than 50% more than in 2022 and another consecutive annual record in arid metro Phoenix.
The numbers in the Maricopa County Department of Public Health’s preliminary report alarmed officials in America’s hottest major metropolis, raising concerns about how to better protect vulnerable groups such as the homeless and the elderly from the sweltering summer heat.
According to the report, two-thirds of heat-related deaths in 2023 were people age 50 or older, and 71% occurred on days when the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning.
“Heat-related deaths are a major public health issue in our community, and support from every level is needed to improve the situation,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of the provincial public health department. strategy can prevent almost all of these deaths.”
The heat-related deaths confirmed in 2023 represented a huge jump from 2022, when there were 425 such deaths. In 2021, 339 heat-related deaths were confirmed.
No other major metropolitan area in the US has reported such high death rates from heat or is spending as much time tracking and studying it.
Maricopa County public health officials have tracked deaths since 2006 where ambient heat was the cause or a significant contributing factor. The department uses information from preliminary death reports completed by the county Office of the Medical Examiner, along with data from death certificates filed with the county Office of Vital Registration.
Last summer, Phoenix experienced its hottest three months since records began in 1895, including the hottest July and second-hottest August. The daily average temperature of 97°F (36.1°C) in June, July and August surpassed the previous record of 96.7°F (35.9°C) set three years ago.
Phoenix also set a record in July with a 31-day streak of highs at or above 110°F (43.3°C).
In recognition of the growing problem of heat-related deaths, the Arizona Department of Health last week named a doctor as the nation’s first heat official to deal with extreme environmental heat.
Dr. Eugene Livar was appointed to the state role under Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan.
The cities of Phoenix and Miami have their own heat officials overseeing ways to protect people and the entire community from extreme heat as climate change leads to more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves.
Phoenix, the hottest major city in the United States, also has a Heat Response and Resilience Office that aims to protect people and help them cope with the hot weather through programs such as cooling stations and more tree planting.
Sunenshine, of Maricopa County Public Health, said individuals, organizations of all sizes and local governments can help reduce heat deaths, especially during the traditional hot season that runs from May 1 to Oct. 31.
The province urged residents to monitor people in their communities and social circles during the hot season, especially those who are older or live alone. It suggested residents also help by volunteering at a cooling center to help it stay open later, or by donating supplies such as water, reusable bottles, hats, sunscreen and cooling towels.
That provincial public health department also released the results of a review of the cooling and respite centers that operated in the province last year.
County officials hope to use the information to offer additional services next summer, such as a bilingual heat management call center to answer questions and help people get transportation to and from cooling centers.
About two-thirds of people who responded to a survey about cooling centers said they lacked stable housing. The results showed that the biggest barriers preventing people from using the centers are not even knowing they exist or where they are located, and not having transportation to get there.