Biden-Harris Administration Unveils National Heat Strategy to Protect Community Health from Extreme Heat

The National Heat Strategy will build resilience to heat and address heat-related health concerns.

(Washington, DC) – The federal interagency National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) today released a National Heat Strategy for 2024-2030. The strategy aims to promote proactive coordination related to heat planning, response, and resilience.

The federal departments and agencies involved in developing this strategy acknowledge the impact of heat on the health and well-being of humans, animals, and ecosystems, as well as associated economic and societal consequences. Roughly 1,220 people are killed by extreme heat in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making heat the nation’s leading weather-related killer.

"Extreme heat is not just an environmental crisis, it's a serious threat to our public health – and communities across the country are struggling to respond. What we're facing today wasn't what we were experiencing 30 or 40 years ago. This is a different world we are in,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The National Heat Strategy recognizes the growing threat of heat, especially on vulnerable populations. The federal government is taking steps to build a heat-resilient future for our entire country, from helping families get air conditioners to protecting farmworkers from heat events and unsafe air. Every action we take, and every dollar invested in prevention, preparation, and heat health resilience, is a vital step towards ensuring a healthier and safer future for all.”

The strategy builds on the continuing efforts of 29 federal departments and agencies within NIHHIS, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These agencies and others across the Biden-Harris Administration work every day to address heat and its impact on health.

HHS is already taking steps to achieve the objectives outlined in the strategy. Notable resources to address extreme heat from HHS and other federal partners include:

• The experimental HeatRisk tool from CDC, in partnership with NOAA’s National Weather Service, which provides a 7-day heat forecast nationwide that tells users when temperatures may reach levels that could harm human health. Pulling data from the HeatRisk tool, CDC developed a HeatRisk dashboard, a user-friendly webpage where people can enter their ZIP code and get personalized heat forecast information for their location, including information on local air quality, alongside protective actions to take.
• Clinical Guidance on Heat and Health from CDC, developed for clinicians, which takes a patient-centered approach to protecting at-risk individuals when temperatures rise, including children with asthma, pregnant women, and people with cardiovascular disease. These materials also feature user-friendly resources so the public can take action to keep themselves safe from heat. This resource complements OCCHE’s Protecting Vulnerable Patient Populations from Climate Hazards, a tool that offers providers clinical guidance to address a broader set of climate-related risks, including wildfire smoke and high-powered storms.
• A new Heat and Health Index (HHI) tool, launched by OCCHE and CDC to provide ZIP code-level heat-related illness and community characteristics data to measure vulnerability to heat nationwide. The HHI delivers a percentile ranking for each ZIP code so that public health officials, city planners, policymakers, and community members can identify areas that may be at increased risk of negative health outcomes from heat. It also details local factors that may be driving this risk, which can help inform interventions to protect public health and build a more heat-resilient future.
• An updated version of the EMS HeatTracker, launched last year by the OCCHE and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which tracks Emergency Medical Services responses to heat-related emergencies. This tracker can be used by communities to assess the burden of heat-related illness on local and regional EMS offices and provides near real-time information on where individuals across the country are being adversely affected by heat. This tool builds on efforts started by the CDC Heat and Health Tracker, which shows daily rates of emergency department visits associated with heat-related illness by HHS region.
• An updated Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Cooling Season Toolkit that provides more information about cooling assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a program associated with the whole-of-government Justice40 Initiative that aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate change, clean energy, clean transportation, affordable housing, water infrastructure, workforce development, and pollution remediation to disadvantaged communities.
• An updated version of the ACF LIHEAP Heat Stress Dashboard, a tool to help LIHEAP-funded grant recipients mitigate the impact of heat stress on vulnerable populations. The Dashboard provides an overview of extreme heat, describes how extreme heat impacts health and well-being, and provides information on how LIHEAP funding can be used to address extreme heat.
• A new Building Blocks for a Heat Stress Prevention Training Program from the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ Worker Training Program, which helps users identify and implement steps needed to reduce the risk of heat stress for workers in both indoor and outdoor environments.
• A new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center Supplemental Research Bulletin on Climate Change, coupled with expanded access to the Disaster Distress Helpline for extreme heat emergencies from SAMHSA and partner federal agencies with relevant language being added to Heat.gov. (SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) provides 24/7 crisis counseling and emotional support for anyone in the U.S./territories experiencing distress or other mental health concerns related to disaster, including extreme heat events. Call or text 1-800-985-5990; press “2” for Spanish.)

For more information on the National Heat Strategy, please click here. To learn more about HHS’ climate change-related efforts, please visit HHS’ Office of Climate Change and Health Equity. To find more information about the federal government’s heat-related initiatives and resources, please visit heat.gov.

Statements from HHS Principals on the National Heat Strategy

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
"Extreme heat is not just an environmental crisis, it's a serious threat to our public health – and communities across the country are struggling to respond. What we're facing today wasn't what we were experiencing 30 or 40 years ago. This is a different world we are in. The National Heat Strategy recognizes the growing threat of heat, especially on vulnerable populations. The federal government is taking steps to build a heat-resilient future for our entire country, from helping families get air conditioners to protecting farmworkers from heat events and unsafe air. Every action we take, and every dollar invested in prevention, preparation, and heat health resilience, is a vital step towards ensuring a healthier and safer future for all.”

ADM Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health 
"The National Heat Strategy establishes an equitable approach to safeguarding all people from the escalating risk of heat-related illnesses and fatalities. Recognizing that extreme heat disproportionately affects communities with environmental justice concerns, and those already facing health disparities, the strategy acknowledges the interconnection between health, environmental justice, well-being, and prosperity.”

Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) 
“The National Heat Strategy will help our country prepare for, respond to, and recover from the negative impacts of extreme heat. ASPR will work with federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies to build a prepared, healthy, and heat-resilient nation. And as part of ASPR’s growing mission, our team will rapidly adapt and build new capabilities to address climate change’s evolving and unprecedented threats to human health.”

Dr. Bob O. Valdez, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 
“AHRQ is a proud partner in the National Heat Strategy, providing data on emergency department visits and hospitalizations across the United States, including visits related to the health consequences of extreme heat. We are supporting research and dissemination on the intersection of climate change and healthcare, including extreme heat, developing resources to reduce healthcare’s carbon, and supporting the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity’s heat tools development, all part of the whole-of-government response to address the devastating toll that heat takes on our health and healthcare delivery systems.”

Dr. Mandy Cohen, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) 
“Protecting our health from the impacts of heat takes a team effort. The National Heat Strategic Plan gives communities tools and guidance to better understand and respond to heat risks. Tools like CDC’s HeatRisk Dashboard give people information on heat risk levels in their community and advice on how to stay safe.”

Jeff Hild, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children and Families (ACF) and Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families 
“Collective efforts across the administration continue to protect our children, families and communities from extreme heat through actions including lowering home energy costs through ACF-funded programs like LIHEAP. The National Heat Strategy coordinates resources to provide proactive and essential support for the children and families we serve ensuring they stay safe, healthy, and cool inside and outside of their homes.”

Alison Barkoff, Senior official performing the duties of the Administration for Community Living Administrator and the Assistant Secretary for Aging (ACL) 
“The Administration for Community Living is proud to work with our federal partners to implement the National Heat Strategy. Extreme heat is particularly dangerous for older adults and people with disabilities, and they often face barriers to accessing services and resources available to mitigate the impact of heat. It is crucial to include disabled people and older adults, and the systems that support them, at every stage of planning and response to ensure their unique needs are considered and addressed.”

Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
“Extreme heat poses significant health risks, especially for older adults and those with pre-existing conditions like cardiovascular and kidney diseases. As heatwaves become more frequent nationwide, understanding how higher temperatures exacerbate health risks is crucial. NIH remains dedicated to preventing and treating health conditions associated with extreme heat through programs such as the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative. The new national strategy will help to ensure that everyone, regardless of age or health status, has access to the tools and knowledge needed to stay safe during extreme heat events.”

Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (SAMHSA) 
“It is important to not only recognize the ways that our changing climate may affect our physical and mental wellbeing, but also for us to continue growing services and attention to the evolving behavioral health impacts associated with extreme heat. As we continue to address mental health and substance use concerns related to climate change, with an emphasis on issues of health equity, the guidance of the National Heat Strategy will inform our existing and new efforts as we work towards better health for all.”