Building community resilience to extreme heat: Lessons learned from Spokane, WA community conversations

Abstract

Heat is the primary cause of weather-related mortality in the United States. The 2021 Northwest heat dome highlighted this susceptibility. In Washington State, 159 excess deaths were attributed to the 7-day period of unprecedented extreme heat between June 26th and July 2nd. This impact was felt even in some of the more acclimatized parts of the state, like Spokane County, where 19 heat-related deaths were reported. As climate change increases the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events, creating and sustaining heat-resilient communities has become an urgent public health priority. On 6 June 2023, Gonzaga University, in partnership with the University of Washington, hosted the Spokane Extreme Heat Risk Intervention Stakeholder Synthesis Symposium. The goals of the symposium were to debrief from recent heat events, identify extreme heat risk reduction interventions used in the region, and characterize remaining practice-relevant research priorities. The symposium convened 45 stakeholders including representatives from local and state agencies, academia, and community-based and Tribal organizations. Symposium participants engaged in small group discussions using the World Café MethodTM. Notes from each discussion were coded using a content analysis approach. Symposium participants identified strengths, barriers to heat resilience, and solutions to reduce risk throughout the Spokane community. We present these findings by practice topic, including risk communication, intervention, collaboration, policy, and research. Additionally, we utilize the socio-ecological model as a conceptual framework to illustrate the complex interplay of factors that govern an individual’s experience of, and ability to respond to, extreme heat events. Given extreme heat’s impact on global public health, the methods used to increase community resilience in Spokane, WA, USA could be used by other communities worldwide to increase their own heat-resilience.