HHS launches national dashboard to track heat-related illness

The Department of Health and Human Services this week released an online national dashboard to map U.S. emergency medical services responses to heat-related illnesses. Called the “EMS HeatTracker”, the tool will help public health officials ensure outreach and medical aid reach vulnerable communities. Public health officials also will use the tracker to determine where to prioritize street trees, parks and cool roofs, as well as to help mayors and public health officials prioritize the placement of cooling centers and outreach to at-risk populations during episodes of extreme heat. In addition, the dashboard breaks down patient characteristics by age, race and gender, and if they reside in an urban, suburban, rural, or frontier community. (HHS news release, 8/9/23)