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Today, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS), launched a new Heat and Health Initiative to protect Americans from heat exposure. The new initiative has three resources, which combined give proactive actions people can take to protect themselves: stay cool; stay hydrated; know the symptoms.

First, the , developed by both ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and NOAA, provides a seven-day heat forecast nationwide that tells you when temperatures may reach levels that could harm your health. Second, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s , a consumer-friendly product, integrates the HeatRisk Forecast Tool data with other information, including details on local air quality, to inform the public on how best to protect themselves when outdoor temperatures are high and could impact their health. Third, newly developed ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø clinical guidance helps clinicians keep at-risk individuals safe when temperatures rise.

“Heat can impact our health, but heat-related illness and death are preventable,” said ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø Director Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. “We are releasing new heat and health tools and guidance to help people take simple steps to stay safe in the heat.”

More than two-thirds of all Americans were under heat alerts in 2023. Heat events are becoming more frequent and intense. A recent report from ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø found that daily emergency department visits because of heat-related illness in 2023 peaked in several regions over the warm-season months and, in those regions, remained exceedingly high for an extended duration. Heat can be especially dangerous for people with underlying health conditions.

HeatRisk Forecast Tool

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø worked with NOAA’s NWS on the HeatRisk Forecast Tool, which is designed for public health audiences, including state and local health officials. The methodology created by ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø and NWS identifies health and temperature data to deliver a seven-day outlook for hot weather. The tool uses a five-level scale to indicate how risky the heat level is in a specific area. Each level uses a color and number to represent risks from heat exposure. Thresholds associated with health impacts are identified based on relationships between temperature and mortality using ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø-based data assets at the local-level. The tool then accounts for unique relationship differences between heat and health for a specific location, in different geographic areas, and at different times of year. This tool can help jurisdictions in planning their actions to extreme heat forecasts, by, among other activities, implementing their respective Heat Response Plans.

HeatRisk Dashboard

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s HeatRisk Dashboard is designed for the general public. It allows people to access important heat and health information in an easy-to-use, intuitive, mobile-friendly interface. Pulling in data from the HeatRisk Forecast Tool, in the Dashboard people can enter their zip code and get personalized heat forecast information for their location alongside protective actions to take. The HeatRisk Dashboard is further supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AIR NOW Air Quality Index, which provides information on local air quality, specifically the presence of pollutants in the air. The Dashboard provides important heat and health information right alongside ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s new clinical guidance materials for people at higher risk from heat-related health effects who may need to take more protective actions.

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s new clinical guidance

ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s clinical guidance helps health care providers speak with their patients about heat and reduce the risk of negative health impacts due to heat exposure. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, and ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø recommends clinicians talk to their patients about how to stay safe where they live, learn, work, and play when it’s hot. If the HeatRisk in a patient’s location is “moderate” for example, then a clinician can reference the ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø guidance for condition-specific heat action plans that contain steps to help keep the patient safe. The heat action plans are tailored to each patient’s unique circumstances.

Even though heat can impact anyone’s physical and mental health, children with asthma, pregnant women, and people with cardiovascular disease, among other groups, may be more sensitive. That is why ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s clinical guidance focuses on some of the people who may be more sensitive to heat and poor air quality. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø experts in asthma, cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy worked together to create the guidance.

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Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are curable or preventable, chronic or acute, or from human activity or deliberate attack, ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s world-leading experts protect lives and livelihoods, national security and the U.S. economy by providing timely, commonsense information, and rapidly identifying and responding to diseases, including outbreaks and illnesses. ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø drives science, public health research, and data innovation in communities across the country by investing in local initiatives to protect everyone’s health.