Mohave Cooling Facilities with Time and Locations Listed Here

Sadly, 645 people died of heat related deaths in Arizona last year. In Mohave County 51 residents perished, with coroner reports citing heat related causes. New Director of the Mohave County Department of Public Health Melissa Palmer says “our goal is to increase awareness on heat related health issues.” She adds, “while we typically share health related posts for all seasons, with the increase in heat and heat related
deaths we want to ensure our residents are getting as much information as possible, including information on medications that can cause heat intolerance and how to properly store medication, so its efficacy doesn’t fade.”

Expectations Going Forward

The Mohave County Emergency Management Team is compiling information on local cooling centers following alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS). When the temperatures are projected to rise higher than average temperatures, MCDPH will share that information on their Facebook page and on the county website.

Need-to-Know Definitions

• Cooling Centers: Cooled indoor locations that provide refuge from heat during the day. Drinking fountains or bottled water is available.
• Respite Centers: Indoor, air-conditioned locations that offer hydration and allow for uninterrupted rest, sitting, or lying down (depending on each facility) during hours of
  operation.
• Hydration Stations: Locations where individuals can go to receive bottled water and other collected donated items. Can be indoor or outdoors.
• Collection Sites: Water bottles can be donated here for use at hydration and cooling locations. Some sites also accept other donations, such as cash; light colored, long-sleeved tee-shirts; socks; underwear; hats; lip balm; sun block; and pre-packaged snacks.

MCDPH will be sharing daily updates on Facebook. Find them at “Mohave County Department
of Public Health”.

Available Resources

The following links are also available on our website at: https://rb.gy/lcbo31

Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan
https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/news/2024/03/governor-hobbs-announcesextreme-heat-preparedness-plan

Clinicians Guide: Medications that Cause Heat Intolerance
https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/hcp/heat-and-medications-guidance-forclinicians.html#:~:text=Some%20commonly%20prescribed%20medications%20that,anticholiner
gic%20agents%2C%20and%20psychotropic%20medications 

Heat Intolerance Medication List for the Layperson
https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/heat-intolerance

How Heat Affects Medication
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-heat-and-how-it-affectsmedication/

Parenting Safety Tips
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Protecting-Childrenfrom-Extreme-Heat-Information-for-Parents.aspx

Automobile Safety Tips
https://www.weather.gov/lsx/excessiveheat-automobiles
https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/heatstroke

Tips for Pet Owners
https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/keep-pets-safe-heat

Utilities Assistance
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program | Arizona Department of Economic Security
(az.gov)

Lyft Rideshare Program
https://211arizona.org/crisis/heat-relief/transportation/.

Heat & Health Trackers
https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/Applications/heatTracker/ 
https://www.ready.gov/heat

General Heat Safety Tips and Resources
https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat

Also, in March of this year, Governor Hobbs announced she will work with the Office of Resiliency and create the state’s first Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan. This includes creating cross-agency collaboration. From utilities assistance for elderly and low-income to ride-share programs that help residents find their way to cooling centers.