The Biden administration has launched a innovative information system aimed at mapping emergency medical services (EMS) responses to heat-related illnesses throughout the country. This online dashboard, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has been designed to aid public health officials in ensuring that necessary outreach and medical assistance are provided to those most in need during heat emergencies.
In a statement, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared, “Heat is no longer a silent killer. Communities across the nation are combating the growing impacts of the climate crisis in order to keep people cool, safe, and alive.” He further emphasized the EMS HeatTracker as a valuable tool by the Biden-Harris Administration, offering actionable information to prioritize outreach and interventions. The objective is to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths, while simultaneously building resilience nationwide.
The release of the system coincides with the escalating occurrence of extreme summer heat in the United States. Climate projections indicate that these extreme heat events will become more frequent and intense in the years to come.
In addition to displaying state and county-level heat-related EMS activations, the dashboard also provides a breakdown of patient characteristics, including age, race, gender, and urbanicity. This information enables officials to identify which populations are most severely affected by heat-related health risks.
The tracker also supplies national-level data on the number of heat-related EMS activations and heat-related deaths among patients who were still alive upon medical officials’ arrival at the scene. It should be noted that the tracker underestimates the number of heat-related deaths in the U.S., as it does not include fatalities that occurred before EMS arrival or fatalities without any EMS response. The data will be updated weekly and will be approximately two weeks behind real-time statistics.
It is important to note that while this new system is a significant development, it is not the only method by which the federal government tracks heat-related illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been collecting national data on heat-related illnesses from emergency departments since 2018. The CDC’s portal tracks the rate of emergency department visits attributed to heat-related illnesses and publishes this information daily, utilizing data from participating medical facilities’ electronic health records.
In conclusion, the Biden administration’s innovative information system is a valuable tool for managing heat-related illnesses across the country. By providing detailed data and insights, it enables public health officials to take targeted action and prevent adverse outcomes.
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