Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Heat-Related Pavement Burns Rising As Western States Sizzle
The New York Times: Burns From Scorching-Hot Sidewalks And Roads Are Rising, And Can Be Fatal
As climate change pushes summer temperatures ever higher and for longer stretches, and with more Americans moving into rapidly expanding cities in the Southwest, more people are suffering serious burns from contact with hot outdoor surfaces. For some, the burns are so extensive that they prove fatal, according to burn experts. In 2022, the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix ... admitted 85 patients for contact burns over the summer. ... This year, the center has already treated 50 patients, and four of them died. (Hassan and Taft, 7/14)
AP: Things To Know About Heat Deaths As A Dangerously Hot Summer Shapes Up In The Western US
A dangerously hot summer is shaping up in the U.S. West, with heat suspected in dozens of recent deaths. ... Heat is the top cause of weather-related fatalities nationwide. But because investigations of suspected heat deaths can take months, and a mishmash of methods is used by counties to count them, it is unknown exactly how many people died in the recent heat wave beginning July 1. (Snow, 7/13)
AP: Why Extreme Heat And Some Medicines Can Be A Risky Combo
Extreme heat can raise the danger of heat-related illnesses and threaten health in a more subtle way — by amplifying the side effects of many common medications. Hot weather, too, can damage medicines such as insulin that require refrigeration. Inhalers can explode. Epinephrine injectors such as EpiPens can malfunction. Meds delivered in the mail can deteriorate. (Johnson, 7/12)
The Washington Post: Eastern U.S. Faces Punishing Blast Of Heat Late This Weekend Into Next Week
After blasting the western United States for the past 10 days, record heat is poised to shift into the eastern United States over the weekend and early next week. Some parts of the east could see their hottest weather of the summer so far. “Widespread record values” are predicted as it becomes “dangerously hot for many,” the National Weather Service wrote in a discussion Friday. (Livingston, 7/12)
Also —
Los Angeles Times: California Prisons Remain Unprepared For Extreme Heat
The potential heat-related death of a prison inmate in California’s Central Valley this week is focusing renewed attention on conditions within correctional institutions as extreme heat, wildfire smoke and flooding pose increasing threats to incarcerated people. Though extreme heat endangers residents throughout the state, experts say California’s prisons are uniquely unprepared for climate change because of a variety of factors, including their remote locations, aging infrastructure and overcrowding. (Smith, 7/13)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia's Health Department Declares Heat Health Emergency
The Philadelphia region is headed into yet another heat wave, and on Saturday, the city declared a heat health emergency that is to start Monday. High temperatures Monday through Wednesday are forecast to reach the mid- and high-90s, and the “feels-like” temperature is likely to top 100 degrees. Heat waves are defined as three consecutive days of temperatures in the 90s. (Bond, 7/13)
