Richmond experiences spike in summertime heat-related illness emergency calls

RICHMOND, Va. — A new study on urban heat island effect in Richmond suggests those living in the city's hottest neighborhoods are more at risk of adverse health effects from the summer heat, finding a steady increase in 911 calls for things heat exhaustion or severe dehydration.

"This is an everyday occurrence throughout the summers," Peter Braun, a policy analyst with the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, said. "This summer in particular, there are a lot of heat-related illnesses coming in. I heard from the [Virginia] Office of EMS recently that every time they download their data set, it's out of ate already, there are more calls coming in."

Braun helped author the study alongside Todd Lookingbill, a professor at the University of Richmond.

"There's a wide variability of temperature within the City of Richmond," Lookingbill said. "As much as 16 degrees from the coolest parts of the city to the warmest parts of the city."

Some of the hottest parts of Richmond include Scotts Addition, the Diamond District, and much of Richmond's Southside.

Watch: See what's being done to cool off some of Richmond's hottest neighborhoods

"There's this lack of investment in all these resources across Richmond, whether that's bus stop shelters, or tree planting, and we still see that today," Braun said.

The study found most 911 calls for heat-related illnesses were coming from those areas, the callers mostly Black or African American, male, and over the age of 50. Risk factors include experiencing homelessness, intoxication from drugs or alcohol, or mental health issues.

Peak times of 911 calls were in the afternoon, mostly around 3pm. Mid-July is considered the peak throughout the year.

The study also found that Richmond "has insufficient publicly accessible places for people with limited mobility to escape the heat, including bus stop shelters, libraries, and government cooling centers."

"They’re not everywhere where they’re needed. We still have gaps in that cooling center distribution," Lookingbill said. "For example, one of the highest rates of heat related medical emergencies is in the Diamond District, Scott’s Addition, kind of that area of the city, which is also the hottest area of the city. There’s no easily accessible, within walking distance, designated cooling center in that area of the city, which is problematic."

"The heat-related illnesses in Richmond are occurring pretty close to cooling stations around the city, within just a short walking distance, and that tells me that folks either don't know about these cooling centers or they don't have a reliable or safe way to get there," Braun said.

A number of calls were also pinpointed to bus stops in the city.

"If you're waiting there for 15 minutes or 30 minutes, however long, that can be enough to make a person sick," Braun said.

Richmond is expected to see an "extreme heat risk" this weekend , according to the National Weather Service, saying "this level of rare and/or long-duration of extreme heat with little to no overnight relief affects anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration."

Richmond is offering several walk-up cooling stations at its public library locations, at the Department of Social Services' Marshall Plaza Building and at the Department of Social Services' Southside Plaza Building.

The Inclement Weather Shelter at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue will open and provide 100 walk-up beds that will operate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on any day when temperatures reach or exceed 92F, which is said to open later this month.

Inclement Weather Shelter
1900 Chamberlayne Avenue
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. (or until temperatures drop below 92F)
The shelter will remain open overnight if temperatures are 92F or higher at 9 p.m.

Monday-Saturday (until Labor Day)

• Department of Social Services - Marshall Plaza
  900 E. Marshall Street, Suite 160,  Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  
• Department of Social Services - Southside Plaza
  4100 Hull Street Road Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Monday-Sunday (times/days vary)

• Main Library 101 E. Franklin Street
• Belmont Library 3100 Ellwood Avenue
• Broad Rock Library 4820 Old Warwick Road
• East End Library 1200 N. 25th Street
• Ginter Park Library 1200 W. Brook Avenue
• Hull Street Library 1400 Hull Street
• North Avenue Library 2901 North Avenue
• West End Library 5420 Patterson Avenue
• Westover Hills Library 1408 Westover Hills Boulevard

The Virginia Department of Social Services also offers assistance for low-income households. More information can be found here.

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