LOS ANGELES (CNS) – The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will give residents and public health officials access to a dashboard tracking heat-related illnesses and deaths across the county as officials prepare for the region’s hottest months of the year.
The Heat-Related Illness and Mortality Dashboard provides data on emergency department visits and deaths linked to heat exposure, allowing public health officials and communities to monitor the effects of extreme heat by region and demographic group, according to the department.
“Extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe, making heat-related illness an increasing concern especially for older adults, young children, outdoor workers, and people with underlying health conditions,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “This dashboard gives us timely, local insight into who is most affected and where, helping Public Health and our partners take targeted action.”
The dashboard includes daily emergency department visit rates during heat season from May through October, along with daily high temperatures recorded in downtown LA. Heat-related deaths based on death certificates are displayed monthly.
Officials said the data can be sorted by age, sex, race and ethnicity and Service Planning Area to help identify which communities are most impacted.
According to the department, extreme heat causes more deaths annually than floods, hurricanes and tornadoes combined, with risks expected to increase as temperatures continue rising.
The dashboard is available through the Office of Environmental Justice and Climate Health webpage at https://admin.publichealth.lacounty.gov.