The Role of Cooling Centers in Protecting Vulnerable Individuals from Extreme Heat

Bedi, Neil Singh; Adams, Quinn; Hess, Jeremy; Wellenius, Gregory A.

doi:10.1097/ede.0000000000001503

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The UHI effect exacerbates nighttime temperatures in cities and is strongest during the summertime, escalating overnight heat stress during warmer summer days [ 45 ]. Limiting cooling center hours to daytime hours may also limit access among heat-vulnerable populations such as outdoor workers who may not realistically be able to visit a cooling center during working hours [ 46 ]. While the cost of staffing cooling centers presents another operational obstacle [ 34 ], accessibility can be enhanced by extending the hours during an EHE or by pairing cooling centers with other strategies that address accessibility barriers, such as working with local businesses to open cooling facilities in areas of dense social vulnerability, increasing existing transportation, or adding options such as free shuttles to cooling centers [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of extreme heat public health preparedness plans and response activities in the most populous jurisdictions in the United States

et al. 2023

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Background Increasingly frequent and intense extreme heat events (EHEs) are indicative of climate change impacts, and urban areas’ social and built environments increase their risk for health consequences. Heat action plans (HAPs) are a strategy to bolster municipal EHE preparedness. The objective of this research is to characterize municipal interventions to EHEs and compare U.S. jurisdictions with and without formal heat action plans. Methods An online survey was sent to 99 U.S. jurisdictions with populations > 200,000 between September 2021 and January 2022. Summary statistics were calculated to describe the proportion of total jurisdictions, as well as jurisdictions with and without HAPs and in different geographies that reported engagement in extreme heat preparedness and response activities. Results Thirty-eight (38.4%) jurisdictions responded to the survey. Of those respondents, twenty-three (60.5%) reported the development of a HAP, of which 22 (95.7%) reported plans for opening cooling centers. All respondents reported conducting heat-related risk communications; however, communication approaches focused on passive, technology-dependent mechanisms. While 75.7% of jurisdictions reported having developed a definition for an EHE, less than two-thirds of responding jurisdictions reported any of the following activities: conducting heat-related surveillance (61.1%), implementing provisions for power outages (53.1%), increasing access to fans or air conditioners (48.4%), developing heat vulnerability maps (43.2%), or evaluating activities (34.2%). There were only two statistically significant (p ≥ .05) differences in the prevalence of heat-related activities between jurisdictions with and without a written HAP, possibly attributable to a relatively small sample size: surveillance and having a definition of extreme heat. Conclusions Jurisdictions can strengthen their extreme heat preparedness by expanding their consideration of at-risk populations to include communities of color, conducting formal evaluations of their responses, and by bridging the gap between the populations determined to be most at-risk and the channels of communication designed to reach them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of extreme heat public health preparedness plans and response activities in the most populous jurisdictions in the United States

et al. 2023

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“…First, access to cooling centers reflects more than just physical proximity and includes time, availability, convenience, and safety among other factors. 35 Here, we evaluated only potential accessibility, as defined by physical proximity based on place of residence. Similarly, we were not able to analyze which of the populations in this study actually use cooling centers and which might have access to alternative heat adaptation interventions.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Optimal Placement of Cooling Centers to Serve Populations at High Risk of Extreme Heat Exposure in 81 US Cities

et al. 2023

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Objective: Although extreme heat can impact the health of anyone, certain groups are disproportionately affected. In urban settings, cooling centers are intended to reduce heat exposure by providing air-conditioned spaces to the public. We examined the characteristics of populations living near cooling centers and how well they serve areas with high social vulnerability. Methods: We identified 1402 cooling centers in 81 US cities from publicly available sources and analyzed markers of urban heat and social vulnerability in relation to their locations. Within each city, we developed cooling center access areas, defined as the geographic area within a 0.5-mile walk from a center, and compared sociodemographic characteristics of populations living within versus outside the access areas. We analyzed results by city and geographic region to evaluate climate-relevant regional differences. Results: Access to cooling centers differed among cities, ranging from 0.01% (Atlanta, Georgia) to 63.2% (Washington, DC) of the population living within an access area. On average, cooling centers were in areas that had higher levels of social vulnerability, as measured by the number of people living in urban heat islands, annual household income below poverty, racial and ethnic minority status, low educational attainment, and high unemployment rate. However, access areas were less inclusive of adult populations aged ≥65 years than among populations aged <65 years. Conclusion: Given the large percentage of individuals without access to cooling centers and the anticipated increase in frequency and severity of extreme heat events, the current distribution of centers in the urban areas that we examined may be insufficient to protect individuals from the adverse health effects of extreme heat, particularly in the absence of additional measures to reduce risk.

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“…Finally, Type 3 solutions encompass adaptations that can enhance community resilience to the harmful impacts of climate change, often reinforcing Type 1 and Type 2 solutions. Examples of public health resilience measures include establishing community cooling and clean air centers to limit exposure to dangerous heat and air pollution ( 27 , 28 ); improving control measures for vector-borne diseases ( 6 , 29 ); and providing counseling to help people cope with mental health impacts of climate change, including climate anxiety and depression and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from exposure to extreme weather events ( 30 ).…”

Section: Climate Solutions Are Health Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication research to improve engagement with climate change and human health: A review

Campbell

Uppalapati

Kotcher

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

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Because of the world's dependence on fossil fuels, climate change and air pollution are profoundly harming both human and planetary health. Fortunately, climate solutions are also health solutions, and they present both local and global opportunities to foster cleaner, healthier, and safer communities. In this review, we briefly discuss the human health harms of climate change, climate and health solutions, and provide a thorough synthesis of social science research on climate and health communication. Through our review, we found that social science research provides an evidence-based foundation for messaging strategies that can build public and political will for climate and health solutions. Specifically, messages that convey the health harms of climate change and highlight the health benefits of climate solutions may be especially effective in building this public and political will. We also found that health professionals are trusted sources of information about climate change, and many have shown interest in engaging with the public and policymakers about the health relevance of climate change and clean energy. Together, the alignment between message strategies and the interest of highly trusted messengers strongly suggests the potential of health students and health professionals to create the conditions necessary to address climate change as a public health imperative. Therefore, our review serves as a resource for those interested in communicating about climate change and health and suggests that social scientists can continue to support practitioners with research and advice on the most effective communication strategies.

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The Role of Cooling Centers in Protecting Vulnerable Individuals from Extreme Heat

Cited by 20 publications

References 22 publications

Survey of extreme heat public health preparedness plans and response activities in the most populous jurisdictions in the United States

Survey of extreme heat public health preparedness plans and response activities in the most populous jurisdictions in the United States

Examining the Optimal Placement of Cooling Centers to Serve Populations at High Risk of Extreme Heat Exposure in 81 US Cities

Communication research to improve engagement with climate change and human health: A review

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