PHOENIX — A Valley emergency room doctor is concerned the best preparations may not be enough to stop heat deaths this year.
In 2023, data shows 645 people died in Maricopa County from heat-related deaths. Maricopa County reports that is the highest number of heat-related deaths ever recorded and was a 52% increase from the year before.
"Last summer was the worst I've ever seen," Dr. David Sklar, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health said.
Sklar has worked at Valleywise for seven years but has been practicing medicine for more than 35. Over that time, Sklar said he'd never seen people coming in with temperatures of 107 and above, unconscious and in such distress every day.
"That was what really alerted me to the fact that we had seen something rather unusual and something really quite terrible going on in our community," Sklar said.
Sklar authored an op-ed, outlining his concerns and ideas for what more can be done to help prevent deaths while giving credit to those at the city, county, and state levels for working to create plans. He's concerned there will be a repeat of last summer.
"I'm really worried that we could have even more, a lot more people dying, and overwhelm our whole healthcare system," Sklar said.
It's a concern shared by those who provide healthcare to those experiencing homelessness before they get to the emergency room.
"As we prepare for this summer, we have to be prepared for the same or even worse than last summer," Dr. William Ellert, Chief Medical Officer for Circle the City, said.
Last year, Circle the City went through 40,000 water bottles in their mission of helping those experiencing homelessness. They said more was needed, and more will be needed again.
Ellert said in anticipation of this year's heat, the organization is also looking at starting an IV hydration program to help people replenish fluids.
"Frequently when it gets to a certain point, it's difficult for people to consume the amount of fluid that they need orally, and so we have started investigating and putting together an IV program for the summer for those that are experiencing the extreme effects of the heat," Ellert said.
Still, Ellert said even those who do have housing but don't have air conditioning or other resources to be safe are still at risk.
Maricopa County's 2023 Heat-Related Deaths Report notes how all indoor heat-related deaths last year were in places that were not cooled.
"Unless we really bind together as a community, recognize the severity of the effects of heat and put things in place to protect both those experiencing homelessness and those who are housed who are vulnerable, we will have a crisis again this summer," Ellert said.
Sklar added he'd like to see increased education, outreach, coordination and training in addition to identifying high-risk people living both inside and on the streets. He'd also like to see a better understanding of why the heat-related deaths happen— specifically having a team to look into the deaths like similar statewide reports on child deaths.
"It's not only a health problem, but it's a moral problem," Sklar said.
Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.