Translating Heat-related Illness Surveillance Into Action Through Partnerships

As part of a greater statewide excessive heat response plan, New Hampshire (NH) has been performing HRI surveillance since 2010 to guide response efforts and ultimately reduce HRI morbidity and mortality during situations of excessive heat. Historically, NH hospital Emergency Department Heat illness discharges average around 150 per year, typically in the summer months. NHÕs Excessive Heat Emergency Response Plan documents appropriate state-wide readiness, alerting, emergency, and recovery level of response for heat emergencies with its partners. Together with near real-time surveillance data, flexible query tools, and communication templates, NH is better able to respond to excessive heat emergencies at a moment's notice and take action with its partners to reduce HRI emergencies. Objective: During this presentation NH Division of Public Health Services (NH DPHS) will share how it was able to develop an effective HRI surveillance response through the development of partners, which allowed State of NH decision makers to affect action beyond detection.