Raise Public Awareness About Extreme Heat
Given the high death toll and economic impact associated with extreme heat events, government officials, healthcare systems, and the lay public must recognize heat waves as natural disasters and understand the necessary steps to minimize their impact.
Key interventions for raising public awareness include the following:
Understand and communicate risk, with a focus on vulnerable populations who are most likely to suffer from heat illness and least likely to receive and implement information from traditional public health messaging. This requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach with a focus on risk recognition and heat illness prevention.
Social media outreach
Community education seminars
Collaborate with local media and government officials to broadcast timely warning messages (see Early Warning Systems resources under “Advocate for Heat Resilience and Mitigation)
Resources to educate the general public:
Heat.gov: Web portal for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, serving as the premiere source of information regarding heat and health for the nation
Keep Your Cool: A cool-surface educational campaign for stakeholders and the general public to communicate how cool roofs and walls keep unwanted solar heat out of our homes, workplaces, and communities, offering benefits that grow as the climate warms. It provides easy-to-understand information, resources and incentives to support the adoption of these no-regret choices (see their accompanying social media toolkit).
Resources to educate health care professionals:
Climate Resilient Health Clinics: Resources for health care providers, patients and administrators at free clinics and community health centers