Heat wave hits several parts of the US

According to NWS, this is the first significant heat wave of the season, and "the hottest temperatures of the summer" are expected to hit the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Many areas are expected to set records for daily high temperatures and long-duration heat.

David Parkinson, a senior weather producer at CBS News, said that at least 265 million people across the United States will experience temperatures over 90 degrees Fahrenheit this week, and around 22 million people will see temperatures over 100 degrees.

Many heavily populated cities are also likely to experience Level 4, or "Extreme," heat risk based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) new heat risk tool. Some of the cities likely to be affected are Chicago, Detroit, Columbia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. Many other cities are also likely to be in the "Major" heat risk category.

"This level of rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration," NOAA said. "Impacts likely in most health systems, heat-sensitive industries and infrastructure."

"The early arrival of this magnitude of heat, the duration, abundant sunshine, and lack of relief overnight will increase the danger of this heat wave beyond what the exact temperature values would suggest," NWS' Weather Prediction Center said.

Preparation for extreme heat

As temperatures increase, people are at a greater risk of heat-related illnesses. Overheating can also lead to significant health effects, including brain damage, organ failure, and even death.

"We have seen people with heat strokes, and it can go as bad where they are having to be resuscitated depending on the severity and how long they have been exposed to either the sun and or the heat," said Lionel Machado, a physician at Adventist Health in Tulare, California.

To prepare for the heat, emergency workers and local officials are informing people about cooling centers and stocking up on bottles of water to hand out. Some emergency vehicles also have canopies that provide makeshift shade for heat victims. In some areas, emergency responders are also carrying large plastic bags filled with ice that they can wrap around patients to cool them down quickly.

"In heat exhaustion, the goal is to cool as quickly as you can," said Aisha Terry, an associate professor of emergency medicine and health policy at George Washington University Hospital and president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Currently, CDC is advising people in areas with heat alerts to stay inside with air conditioning, limit their outdoor activity, wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothes, and drink water to avoid heat-related illnesses.

Young children, older adults, and people with asthma should also be extra careful and take precautions to prevent illness during a heat wave. "If you are waiting until you're shaky, dizzy, lightheaded, heart starting to race, those are usually signs that you are already dehydrated, and sometimes that's too late in the game already," Machado said.

Advisory Board's climate resources

To better understand the impact of climate change on healthcare, check out these Advisory Board resources:

Healthcare directly contributes to climate change, but cognitive biases may prevent leaders from actionably reducing environmental harm. This research describes three common cognitive biases about climate change in the healthcare industry and outlines how leaders can combat them.

Similarly, this expert insight explains the five most common pushbacks to Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) efforts and the best way to combat them. We also have an infographic on how inaction on climate change will negatively impact organizations' bottom lines.

Climate change can also impact patients' health. These two expert insights explain how climate change is affecting patients' heart health and their risk of developing cancer.

For resources on environmental sustainability, read this emerging idea on ways organizations can use green financing to fund sustainability initiatives, or listen to this Radio Advisory episode about Boston Medical Center's own green financing efforts. (Freedman, Axios, 6/18; Cohen, CBS News, 6/17; Bohannon, Forbes, 6/17; Searcey, New York Times, 6/18; Gutierrez, ABC 30; 6/5)

This infographic explores three major consequences that climate change inaction will have on health care organizations’ bottom lines. It translates the systemic, global problem of climate change into the business priorities of individual organizations.