Focus on Arizona heat deaths obscures solutions for hospital visits

As temperatures in Arizona climb, more people are going to emergency rooms for heat-related illnesses, sometimes overwhelming hospitals.

Focusing too much on heat-related deaths may detract from needed health care solutions for people suffering in the heat.

State data also leaves unanswered questions about unhoused populations, outdoor workers and people who need mental health treatment, experts say.

The past 10 years have been the 10 warmest on record for the planet, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

In the hottest big city in America, already on the edge of survivable temperatures for those living or working outside, the escalating number of people who died prematurely from heat-related causes over that time unleashed criticism of Arizona's ability to handle the s