White House introduces nationwide heat illness tracking system.
Tracking Heat-Related Illness: Biden Administration Launches New Online Dashboard
As heat waves continue to grip the nation, the Biden administration has unveiled an innovative solution to combat the growing impacts of the climate crisis. Introducing the Heat-Related EMS Activation Surveillance Dashboard, a powerful tool designed to track and address heat emergencies nationwide.
Run by the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this online system aims to provide emergency medical services with timely and relevant data. By doing so, it ensures that vulnerable populations receive the necessary outreach and medical aid.
Putting Safety First: Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action
“Heat is no longer a silent killer. From coast-to-coast, communities are battling to keep people cool, safe, and alive due to the growing impacts of the climate crisis,” emphasized Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. He further added, “President Biden is committed to providing communities with the resources they need to stay safe. The EMS HeatTracker is a powerful tool from the Biden-Harris administration that brings actionable information to prioritize outreach and interventions, helping prevent heat-related illnesses and death, and build resilience across the nation.”
Part of the National EMS Information System, this tracker collects data from emergency calls, providing a comprehensive view of heat-related EMS activations at the state and county levels. It breaks down patient characteristics by age, race, gender, and urbanicity, offering valuable insights for targeted interventions.
While the dashboard will be updated every Monday morning, it’s important to note that the data will be released two weeks behind real-time. Nonetheless, the current figures are alarming. Over the past 30 days, there have been 11,723 heat-related EMS activations and 40 deaths attributed to the sweltering heat. Of those activations, 64.6% of patients required transportation to a medical facility. Additionally, the data reveals that EMS took an average of 12.7 minutes to reach the patient during this period.
The 10 states with the highest rate of heat-related EMS activations in the past month are Nevada, Arkansas, New Mexico, Kansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Vermont, and South Carolina, respectively.
As the country continues to grapple with scorching temperatures, the Biden administration’s new federal system aims to address the challenges posed by record-breaking heat. With over 68 million people still under heat alerts, it is crucial to prioritize the safety and well-being of communities across the nation.
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