Managing Your Health

Extreme Heat: Relief Efforts and Supplies Save Lives

June 13, 2024
Heat Relief Kit Build

In Arizona, we typically experience triple-digit temperatures from May to September. We’re in the thick of summer’s hottest days and finding relief from the heat is essential.

Heat can be life-threatening:
  • In 2023, Maricopa County reported a record 645 heat-related deaths, a 52% increase from 2022.
  • 75% of heat-related deaths occurred outdoors.
  • More than 4,400 Arizonans visited hospitals or emergency rooms for heat-related reasons.
Heat Safety Tips:
  • Drink water: Carry water with you and drink, even if you do not feel thirsty. How much is enough? Click here to learn more.
  • Dress for the heat: Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing, wear hats, or use an umbrella. Always apply sunscreen to exposed skin!
  • Stay indoors when possible: The Arizona Department of Health Services has an interactive map that indicates the locations of cooling centers and hydration stations across the Valley: Heat Relief WAB (arcgis.com).
AZ Blue is here to help

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue) is ramping up its efforts to help Arizonans stay safe and healthy in extreme weather. Heat relief efforts and supplies can save lives!

  1. Water Bottle Drive: AZ Blue is encouraging its employees to donate water through Sept. 30! You can donate a case (or more) of bottled water, too.
  • Where to donate: Key Campus, serving over 1,6000 individuals experiencing homelessness daily. Address: 1300 W Harrison Street in Phoenix.
  • When: Public water drop-off is on the first Saturday of the month through September. You can also donate online at any time: donorbox.org/thirstaid/

3. Heat Relief Kit Build: AZ Blue employees volunteered to build 1,000 heat relief kits in ONE DAY! The kits include bottled water, lip balm, sunglasses, hydration packets, cooling towels, and more. The kits are being distributed to vulnerable Arizonans in Maricopa, Pima, and Yuma counties by Maricopa Association of Governments Heat Relief Network partners.

The heat is here to stay

By 2030, Arizona is projected to have up to 117 days over 100 degrees. As we experience increasingly longer periods of extreme heat, it is more important than ever to protect yourself from the heat. Heat can pose health risks for anyone but can be especially dangerous for people who are pregnant, children or teens with asthma, or people with heart disease or other chronic conditions.

The CDC’s HeatRisk map provides up-to-date information for people on the heat risk in their location and steps they should consider taking to reduce their risk of health-related illness. To learn the signs and symptoms of heat illnesses like heat stroke and for additional prevention tips, visit: heat-illness-tip-sheet.pdf (azdhs.gov).