Heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County totaled 645 in 2023, breaking the previous record by more than 50 percent, health officials reported Wednesday.

“This tragic number shows us how much work we still have to do,” Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said.

“With a coordinated county-wide strategy, nearly every one of these deaths can be prevented.”

Though all residents and visitors of Maricopa County are affected by extreme heat, some populations are hurt more, such as people over age 50, those who live in mobile home parks and people who are experiencing homelessness, according to a release from the county health department.

In addition to tracking all confirmed heat deaths in Maricopa County, MCDPH also conducted an evaluation of cooling and respite centers that were part of the Maricopa County Heat Relief Network last year.

The goal was to understand what brought people to cooling centers, as well as barriers that kept people from using them. Some key findings included:

• About two-thirds of respondents indicated they did not have a stable residence.
• Most visitors to cooling centers had been to one previously and spent at least an hour during each visit for heat relief.
• Word of mouth and street signs were suggested as the top two ways to inform people of where cooling centers are located.

The biggest barriers to using cooling centers are:

• • Not knowing they exist.
  • Lack of transportation to cooling centers.
  • Not knowing where cooling centers are located.

Based on that information, MCDPH is working to address the needs with cities and community partners, officials said. Among other actions, MCDPH is:

• Supporting a bilingual heat relief call center to answer calls and connect people to resources and transportation to and from cooling centers.
• Partnering with City of Phoenix to create signs for all Maricopa County heat relief locations to make them visible from the street.
• Working with cities and community organizations that have experience running cooling centers to expand hours and days of operation, ensuring water and snacks will be available.
• Ordering heat relief items like reusable water bottles, cooling towels, and hats to distribute at smaller community cooling centers, which may not be able to afford those supplies on their own.

“Deaths from heat are a major public health issue within our community, and it’s going to take support from every level to improve the situation,” Sunenshine said.

“Individuals, small and large organizations and municipalities all have a role to play in reducing heat deaths.”

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