Summer vacations, particularly around the July 4th holiday, are prime time for settling in with a good read. This year, there may be nothing better for provider eyes than a unique new publication out of Arizona.

The state’s nickname is the Valley of the Sun, though some equate it to basically living on the sun at certain unbearable times. And those dangerous times are increasing, research shows. 

Extreme heat events in Arizona are rising from the 73 days over 100 degrees in 2023 (the year of 31 days in a row over 110 degrees). Projections forecast there will be 117 of those 100-plus days by 2030. 

But heat dangers, which imperil the senior population most of all, aren’t just an Arizona thing.

Extreme heat has claimed more lives than any other extreme weather condition in the US — outranking hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes.

That’s what makes the Emergency Preparedness Heat Mitigation Toolkit for Long-Term Care so noteworthy. A mouthful of a title, to be sure. But the colorful 30-pager is a slim goldmine of life-saving information and advice for providers in any location. It is newly released by the Arizona Health Care Association and its partner, the Arizona Department of Health Services.

It can — no, should — be replicated in every state in the union, because emergencies can pop up anywhere.

The first-of-its kind publication is built to support providers both in responding to heat-related emergencies and proactively training their teams in emergency preparedness. 

The content is drawn from the most current state and national resources and can be easily adapted to other risky situations that caretakers of elderly individuals should be aware of. Applicable regulations are stated for skilled nursing and assisted living, as are heat illness indicators, tips for dealing with utility companies and managed care plans, best practices, drills, and much more.

“Other institutions like schools and hospitals have heat plans, but long-term care needed something specific, and that’s what we’ve delivered,” Arizona Health Care Association CEO Dave Voepel told me earlier this week. “This toolkit helps providers walk through those ‘what ifs’ before they become real-time crises.”

That goes especially for power outages, which can hit anybody, anywhere, creating often deadly emergencies, as was illustrated tragically in Hollywood, FL, a few years back. That resulted in criminal charges against a facility administrator, though a judge eventually dropped them in 2023.

“While Arizona might be the tip of the spear on this issue, we think this toolkit can serve as a model for providers everywhere,” Voepel, the former leader of the Illinois Health Care Association, noted. “Whether you’re in the Midwest facing sudden heat waves —with severe amounts of humidity — or in cooler climates planning for any emergency, having utility contacts, cooling options, evacuation plans, and staff training in place is always a good idea. It’s scalable, adaptable and easy to plug into broader emergency prep frameworks.”

His advice to peers around the country is, well, as good as a cold lemonade on a scorching day: Don’t wait. Extreme weather is no longer rare, and your preparedness plans should reflect that reality.

Start with a free download of the Emergency Preparedness Heat Mitigation toolkit. Your residents and staff, and just about everybody else besides the plaintiff bar, will thank you.

James M. Berklan is McKnight’s Long-Term Care News’ Executive Editor and a winner in the Best Commentary category in the 2024 Neal Awards, which are given annually for the nation’s best specialized business journalism.

Opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.