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<\/a>Dr. Valandrea Merilan<\/p>\nBy Dr. Kimberly Barbel Johnson and Dr. Valandrea Merilan | Jacksonville knows heat. We expect sticky summers, afternoon thunderstorms, and the kind of humidity that fogs your glasses the moment you step outside. But what we\u2019re experiencing now is different. Extreme heat is becoming the most dangerous and least understood public\u2011health threat in Northeast Florida \u2014 and our community is not prepared for what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n
Last summer brought Jacksonville its longest stretch of triple\u2011digit heat indices in recorded history. Nights stayed hot enough that the body couldn\u2019t cool down. Emergency rooms saw spikes in heat\u2011related illness. Outdoor workers collapsed on job sites. And families across the city faced impossible choices between running the air conditioner or paying the electric bill.<\/p>\n
This is not just uncomfortable. It\u2019s deadly.<\/p>\n
Extreme heat strains the body in ways most people don\u2019t recognize until it\u2019s too late. Dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke can escalate within minutes \u2014 especially in Jacksonville\u2019s humidity, which prevents sweat from evaporating and blocks the body\u2019s natural cooling system.<\/p>\n
Chronic conditions worsen too. Cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and mental\u2011health disorders all become harder to manage in prolonged heat. Pediatricians warn that infants and young children are at particular risk because their bodies cannot regulate temperature effectively. And research shows that pregnant people exposed to extreme heat face higher risks of preterm birth.<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t abstract risks. They\u2019re showing up in Baptist, UF Health, Mayo, and emergency clinics across Duval County.<\/p>\n
Extreme heat does not impact all Jacksonville residents equally.<\/p>\n
Neighborhoods like Brentwood, New Town, and parts of Arlington have fewer trees, more asphalt, and older housing stock \u2014 conditions that create urban heat islands where temperatures can be 10\u201315\u00b0F higher than in shaded, coastal, or suburban areas.<\/p>\n
Outdoor workers \u2014 construction crews, landscapers, delivery drivers, port workers \u2014 face some of the most severe risks. Many work in direct sun for hours with limited access to shade or cooling.<\/p>\n
Unhoused residents struggle to find safe places to cool down, especially as libraries and public buildings reduce hours.<\/p>\n
Low-income families often live in homes with poor insulation or aging AC units. Even when cooling is available, high utility bills force many to ration air conditioning during the hottest months.<\/p>\n
In a city where heat risk maps overlap almost perfectly with maps of poverty and racial segregation, extreme heat is not just a climate issue \u2014 it is an equity issue.<\/p>\n
Despite rising temperatures, many Jacksonville residents still underestimate their personal risk. We\u2019re used to heat. We think we can handle it. But familiarity breeds complacency.<\/p>\n
Public-health experts warn that this perception gap is dangerous. People often don\u2019t recognize heat illness until symptoms become severe. And because heat waves feel like \u201cnormal summer weather,\u201d many don\u2019t check on neighbors, older relatives, or vulnerable friends.<\/p>\n
The lesson from past disasters is clear: social connection saves lives. A phone call, a knock on a door, or a ride to a cooling center can be the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, we know what works. Jacksonville has the tools to protect its residents, but we need coordinated action. The city must:<\/p>\n
Expand cooling centers\u00a0and ensure they are accessible by bus routes.
\nIncrease tree canopy\u00a0in neighborhoods with the highest heat exposure.
\nPartner with JEA\u00a0to provide targeted utility assistance during heat emergencies.
\nStrengthen worker protections\u00a0so outdoor laborers have guaranteed access to shade, water, and rest.
\nImprove public communication\u00a0so residents know when heat becomes dangerous \u2014 and what to do.<\/p>\n
Local organizations are already sounding the alarm. Health professionals, climate scientists, and community groups across Northeast Florida are urging city leaders to treat extreme heat as a public\u2011health emergency, not a seasonal inconvenience.<\/p>\n
Extreme heat is reshaping life in Jacksonville. But it doesn\u2019t have to reshape our health outcomes. Every heat\u2011related death is preventable. Every hospitalization is avoidable. We have the science, the data, and the community strength to protect one another \u2014 if we act with urgency.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville is a resilient city. We\u2019ve weathered hurricanes, economic shocks, and public\u2011health crises. We can meet this challenge too. But first, we must recognize extreme heat for what it is: the most pressing, predictable, and preventable public\u2011health threat facing our region.<\/p>\n
And the time to act is now.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
Kim Marie Barbel Johnson, D.O., MPA\u00a0is a physician-scientist, family physician, and healthcare executive whose career encompasses clinical medicine, clinical research, and community health leadership. Dr. Johnson serves as Program Director for General Internal Medicine Community Clinical Trials and Innovation at Mayo Clinic in Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Valandrea Merilan is a resident physician at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Her specialties include academic medicine, community engagement, hospital medicine and women\u2019s health.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Dr. Kimberly Barbel Johnson Dr. Valandrea Merilan By Dr. Kimberly Barbel Johnson and Dr. Valandrea Merilan |…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-415585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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