PHX Reporter

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) has launched an interactive, online heat-related illness and death dashboard to provide residents with more accessible and timely data on countywide heat-related hospital visits and deaths. This initiative aligns with a multi-partner, countywide heat preparedness and response effort aimed at preventing another summer of record-breaking heat deaths.

“This is a significant new step in tracking the effects of heat on people who live in or visit Maricopa County, which we have been doing since 2006,” said Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for MCDPH. “This information has helped focus prevention strategies on those at highest risk of heat-related illness and death, and this new approach to visualizing the data makes it easier for our partners to translate data into action.”

The dashboard replaces weekly heat surveillance reports previously published on the public health website. Developed through the Power BI platform with support from Maricopa County’s Enterprise Technology team, the tracker will be updated weekly on Tuesdays. It features near real-time data on heat-related hospital visits, comparative data for 2023 and 2024, patient characteristics by age, race, sex, housing status, and substance use involvement.

As of May 27th, two deaths during April were confirmed as heat-related according to certified death certificates; 42 cases are currently under investigation by the Office of the Medical Examiner (OME). “Death investigations can take several months to finalize,” said Dr. Sunenshine. “It’s important to monitor how many suspect deaths are being investigated. This helps us to know what’s happening as close to real-time as possible.”

In addition to daily county-level reports on heat-related illnesses and deaths, the dashboard will feature daily maximum and minimum temperatures. Cooler nights allow for bodily recovery; however, unusually warm nights pose a significant risk for certain groups including older adults, young children, people experiencing homelessness, and those with underlying health conditions.

The dashboard is optimized for desktop viewing with a guidance document available to assist users in navigating its features.

Key data points include:

- Heat-related hospital visits identified through diagnosis codes in de-identified local emergency department and inpatient hospital visit data.

- Heat deaths based on official death certificate data that may be amended if new information arises during OME investigations.

- Classification of deaths where heat exposure is listed as either a direct cause or contributing factor.

In upcoming weeks, an interactive map displaying sub-county geography-specific heat-related deaths along with circumstances such as indoor/outdoor locations and air conditioning availability will be added.