Extreme heat can kill vulnerable people. Here's how CVS is trying to protect them.

WOONSOCKET – CVS Health is rolling out a new system to alert vulnerable people when high heat is forecast.

The initiative is being made initially available to customers of Aetna , a health insurance company owned by Woonsocket-based CVS. The company plans to expand the service to its CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations.

The system is being rolled out with a focus on heat waves and other extreme heat, but the aim is to start offering air pollution alerts in addition, starting in the fall, to people susceptible to asthma, cardiac problems and reduced lung function.

“Extreme heat kills more Americans each year than all other weather events combined,” Dr. Dan Knecht, vice president and chief clinical innovation officer for CVS Caremark, said in a statement. “Most heat-related deaths are preventable with outreach and intervention.”

What will the new system do?

The system pairs localized forecasting of weather, air quality, wildfires and other environmental factors with customers’ medical and pharmacy data.

CVS says it will allow Aetna to contact at-risk people up to seven days in advance of a forecast extreme weather event with recommendations that could include directing them to cooling centers and providing guidance to minimize heat exhaustion.

The company expects to reduce medical expenditures and emergency room visits through the program.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Extreme heat can kill vulnerable people. Here's how CVS is trying to protect them.