(NewsNation) — The hideous summer heat wave in the southwestern U.S. claimed hundreds of lives. And it also stretched the resources of medical facilities to new levels.
In a first-of-its-kind report, Nevada’s Office of State Epidemiology counted 3,750 emergency room visits over the summer for heat-related illnesses.
That’s 28% more ER visits than in 2023, and the highest number of visits recorded in the past five years.
Southern Nevada, home to about three-quarters of the state’s 3.2 million residents, recorded 342 heat-related deaths.
The office counted emergency room visits between May 1 and Sept. 22, for everything from mild cramps to life-threatening heat stroke.
The report covers visits to 41 hospitals in the Silver State, but it is not a comprehensive list. Many of the smallest and least populated counties in Nevada have no emergency rooms. But authorities still consider it an important report.
“This is a great chance for us to start getting a sense of who’s affected and where they’re affected,” Nevada State Epidemiologist Jeanne Ruff told The Nevada Independent.
