Arizona’s heat is an invisible epidemic, silently claiming lives while we delay the cure. Record-breaking temperatures are no longer rare — they’re Arizona’s new normal. As the heat intensifies, so do emergency department visits and deaths. On May 1, 2025, the Arizona Republic reported a surge in heat-related illnesses. This is more than a climate issue — it’s a public health crisis demanding urgent intervention.

Most heat-related illnesses are entirely preventable. Yet in 2024, Maricopa County recorded over 600 heat-associated deaths. Many were unsheltered individuals, outdoor workers, people in poverty, or those unable to access air conditioning. If these numbers came from a new infectious disease, we’d declare an emergency. The same urgency must apply to heat.

As future public health professionals, we urge Arizona’s leaders to act now. Heat is a silent killer, and current efforts are falling short.

Vulnerable communities suffer the most

Heat exposure disproportionately affects the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and unsheltered individuals. In Phoenix, people experiencing homelessness accounted for at least 50% of last year’s heat deaths. While local organizations — including medical schools — are stepping up, they can’t reach everyone.

Take Dario Mendoza, a 26-year-old farmworker who died of heat stroke in 2023 while working. His death, like many others, reflects systemic failures in worker protections, urban planning and health equity. Arizona must prioritize interventions that protect vulnerable lives.

Public health must shift from reactive to proactive

Hospitals are inundated during peak heat. But emergency response alone won’t solve the crisis. Arizona’s public health systems must lead with prevention. We recommend:

• Expanding and extending hours for cooling centers.
• Launching culturally and linguistically inclusive public education campaigns.
• Enforcing heat safety standards for outdoor workers, including mandatory hydration, rest, and shade breaks.

Urban design can save lives

“Phoenix has one of the largest urban heat island magnitudes in the world” (Urban Heat Island, 2024), largely due to concrete-heavy, treeless developments that trap heat. Yet many developments still ignore environmental sustainability. We urge local governments to:

• Invest in tree canopies in low-income areas.
• Adopt reflective roofing and pavement materials.
• Promote green infrastructure that naturally cools communities.
• Urban planning must evolve into a health equity strategy — not just aesthetics.

 Climate policy is health policy

The long-term solution isn’t just more air conditioning — it’s climate resilience. This includes:

• Adopting bold municipal and state climate action plans.
• Incorporating health metrics into climate data (e.g., heat-related ER visits).
• Funding heat mitigation through public health budgets.
• Heat deserves the same urgency as infectious disease: data-driven action, prevention and systems change.

We cannot afford to wait

Arizona can be a national leader in building heat-resilient communities. Public health leaders, city planners, and elected officials must collaborate — now. We imagine an Arizona where no one dies from heat because our systems cool, protect and unify us.

Let’s make that vision real.

Mohammad Alsobaie is a PharmD student specializing in clinical public health optimization.

Anna Abraham is an MPH candidate focusing on climate and community health.

Kelly Walter studies environmental health and public policy.

Giselle Vitcov is focused on health equity and community interventions.

Jordan Brown researches the environmental determinants of health disparities.