TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing adaptation strategies for extreme heat
T2 - A public health evaluation of cooling centers in Maricopa County, Arizona
AU - Berisha, Vjollca
AU - Hondula, David
AU - Roach, Matthew
AU - White, Jessica R.
AU - McKinney, Benita
AU - Bentz, Darcie
AU - Mohamed, Ahmed
AU - Uebelherr, Joshua
AU - Goodin, Kate
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Meteorological Society.
PY - 2017/1
Y1 - 2017/1
N2 - Preventing heat-associated morbidity and mortality is a public health priority in Maricopa County, Arizona (United States). The objective of this project was to evaluate Maricopa County cooling centers and gain insight into their capacity to provide relief for the public during extreme heat events. During the summer of 2014, 53 cooling centers were evaluated to assess facility and visitor characteristics. Maricopa County staff collected data by directly observing daily operations and by surveying managers and visitors. The cooling centers in Maricopa County were often housed within community, senior, or religious centers, which offered various services for at least 1500 individuals daily. Many visitors were unemployed and/or homeless. Many learned about a cooling center by word of mouth or by having seen the cooling center's location. The cooling centers provide a valuable service and reach some of the region's most vulnerable populations. This project is among the first to systematically evaluate cooling centers from a public health perspective and provides helpful insight to community leaders who are implementing or improving their own network of cooling centers.
AB - Preventing heat-associated morbidity and mortality is a public health priority in Maricopa County, Arizona (United States). The objective of this project was to evaluate Maricopa County cooling centers and gain insight into their capacity to provide relief for the public during extreme heat events. During the summer of 2014, 53 cooling centers were evaluated to assess facility and visitor characteristics. Maricopa County staff collected data by directly observing daily operations and by surveying managers and visitors. The cooling centers in Maricopa County were often housed within community, senior, or religious centers, which offered various services for at least 1500 individuals daily. Many visitors were unemployed and/or homeless. Many learned about a cooling center by word of mouth or by having seen the cooling center's location. The cooling centers provide a valuable service and reach some of the region's most vulnerable populations. This project is among the first to systematically evaluate cooling centers from a public health perspective and provides helpful insight to community leaders who are implementing or improving their own network of cooling centers.
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U2 - 10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0033.1
DO - 10.1175/WCAS-D-16-0033.1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85012141219
SN - 1948-8327
VL - 9
SP - 71
EP - 80
JO - Weather, Climate, and Society
JF - Weather, Climate, and Society
IS - 1
ER -