Overview:

Summary: During a heat wave, hospitals can be overwhelmed by a sudden influx of patients. Hospitals connected to the grid may also lose power for essential equipment during heat waves. Hospitals should be prepared for increased admissions and power outages to ensure that they can continue treating patients.

Implementation: Require hospitals and health departments to prepare contigency plans for extreme heat waves. Contigency plans might include installing generators during heat waves, training staff to respond to an influx of patients; and other emergency preparedness resources.

Considerations for Use: Preparation for extreme heat events can help hospitals prepare for other environmental hazards.

• Policy Levers:
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points:
  
  
  Preparatory measures (actions to establish authority to act)Actions to establish/ ensure the authority to act when appropriate trigger-points occur.
• Intervention Type:
  Buildings and Built Form
• Sectors:
  Emergency management, Informal Settlements, Public Health

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Heat-vulnerable communities, Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Emergency response and management
• Metrics:
  Reduction in heat-related deaths

Case Studies:

• Smart Hospital Project in the Caribbean (RCCC, Pg 78)

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  City
• Authority and Governance:
  City government, State/provincial government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, State/provincial government
• Funding Sources:
  private investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High, Medium

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Low
• GHG Reduction:
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Improve human health, Save on utilities