Maricopa County wants feedback about its cooling centers
A new public survey aims to identify gaps in emergency heat relief services in Maricopa County.
Maricopa County is likely to see a record number of heat-related deaths this year. So the county’s public health department wants to know what it would take to get more people to utilize the dozens of hydration stations and emergency cooling centers across the Valley.
“We’re developing this network that is supposed to cover those most vulnerable populations. If they’re not easily accessible, then that’s something we need to address,” Maricopa County Department of Public Health assistant medical director, Dr. Nick Staab, told KJZZ News.
The Heat Relief Network is run by the Maricopa Association of Governments and includes public spaces like libraries where people can cool off during extreme heat, as well as cooling sites run by nonprofits and community groups.
Staab said the cooling center survey includes questions about advertising, transportation barriers, and safety concerns.
“There’s all these limitations to our cooling centers as they currently exist and we want to better define those so we can better plan for coming summers," Staab said.
Staab said the department has been planning the survey for over a year. The department is conducting the survey now to evaluate how cooling centers are meeting the community's needs during a high demand time.
Staab said the public health department will offer the survey in cooling centers to understand what brings people in. But he said the department wants feedback from all Maricopa County residents, whether they’ve visited a cooling center or not.
The survey is online or by phone at 602-506-6767. It runs through the end of the month.
