TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Pima County Health Department has released its 2024 Interim Heat Report.

A copy of this report is available HERE.

“Overall, I think the response was better than it was in 2023,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, Pima County’s health director. “I think it will get better as we go into 2025.”

According to the report, 91 people died last summer from heat-related problems, while 779 had to be hospitalized.

But without efforts to help people, the death toll would have been higher.

“If our goal is to make sure we preserve life and reduce the impact of heat, I think we’ve done well,” Cullen said.

Pima County opened nearly 40 cooling or respite centers for those who needed respite from the blistering heat.

Whether or not more respite centers come, there’s no doubt they’ll be more geared toward the communities that need them most.

There are likely to be more centers in stressed communities where some people may suffer heat rather than pay a utility bill they may not be able to afford. Lower income communities will also be targeted.

The goal is to have a respite center within one to three miles of those who need it.

It was a lesson learned this year.

“We need to make sure we have adequate access to a respite center in certain areas that we didn’t have this year,” Cullen said.

These respite centers have had nearly 15,000 people show up this year, had more than 21,000 internet searches and more than 5,000 on July 15th alone, when there was a major power outage.

But county health also wants people to take personal responsibility because cooling centers can only help so much. Age, medications, and even weight gain can impact your ability to withstand heat.

“Humans acclimatize, which means they can get used to living in high temperatures,” Cullen said. “The caveat to that though, just because you’ve lived in Tucson for 20 years doesn’t mean you’re not at risk.”

Pima County will produce a final report in December that will have details. But the one detail that is probably at the top of the list – it will heat up over time.

“Heat is a threat, it’s a threat to the individual, it’s a threat to the community, it’s a threat to public health,” Cullen said.

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