The Louisiana Department of Health is launching new resources to help Louisianans stay safe during the hot summer months. These resources include an expanded public-facing heat-related illness dashboard and new heat-related health guidance documents.
Heat-related illness, also known as HRI or hyperthermia, happens when the body is unable to maintain a normal body temperature, resulting in heat exhaustion or life-threatening heat stroke.
The summer of 2023 marked the hottest on record for Louisiana, with the statewide maximum temperature exceeding 95°F on 56 days. This resulted in an unprecedented number of heat-related emergency department (ED) visits and fatalities. LDH tracked 88 heat-related deaths and 6,142 emergency department (ED) visits for heat-related illnesses in 2023.
The dashboard offers Louisianans a comprehensive view of ED visits for HRI across the state. Updated weekly, the dashboard provides detailed breakdowns by day, parish, LDH region, age, sex and race. It also allows users to explore potential connections between daily HRI counts and statewide maximum temperatures. This data is captured through a syndromic surveillance system automatically identifying heat-related ED visits based on diagnoses and mentions of heat exposure in patient records.
Enhancements for the 2024 version of the dashboard include:
- Adding temperature (daily max) to the display of ED visits by date
- A visualization for ED visits by time of day
- Interactive data visualizations for ED visits by demographic stratifications
- Additional technical information (e.g., case definitions)
New guidance documents include:
- What Employers Can Do to Protect Workers from Heat: Focuses on training, work schedules, monitoring and acclimatization
- What Workers Need to Know: Focuses on prevention, risk factors, implementing a buddy system and knowing how to call for help
- Water, Rest and Shade: Focuses on proper hydration, rest breaks and examples of different shading strategies
- Working in the Heat: Educates workers about symptoms and treatments for heat-related illness
- Employer’s Daily Checklist: Focuses on reinforcing trainings and safe work practices
LDH first began tracking ED visits for HRI in 2023, and the Department recently released a report summarizing those findings. Key findings from the report include:
- More than 6,100 ED visits were recorded for heat-related issues during the seven-month monitoring period.
- Males made up 76% of the visits. For ages 20 to 59, 8 out of 10 visits were male patients.
- Black Louisianans exhibited a higher rate of heat-related ED visits compared to their white counterparts.
- Nearly a quarter of all ED visits involved workers, with men disproportionately affected. This aligns with the prevalence of male-dominated outdoor occupations, which put workers at higher risk for heat exposure.
- Pre-existing health conditions played a role in many heat illness cases. Patients with conditions like substance use, hypertensive and other cardiovascular disease, mental and behavioral disorders, diabetes and respiratory problems were more susceptible.
- While urban areas recorded the highest number of visits, rural areas exhibited higher rates of heat-related ED visits.
LDH leveraged last year’s findings to improve the dashboard and to shape its public health preventive measures and practices. This includes new initiatives aimed at educating Louisiana workers, employers and community members on how to prevent heat-related illness.
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