Dr. Eric Wasserman, the chair and medical director of emergency medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, told NJ Advance Media emergency room visits typically increase 5 to 10% during heat waves. He said the hospital tries to prepare ahead of heat waves by stocking up on ice, bottled water, cold intravenous fluids and would then utilize a “mist and fan” method of evaporative cooling of hyperthermic patients. In some cases, parts of the hospital may be reconfigured into a public cooling center, though the COVID-19 pandemic has made that more difficult.
“We just make sure that we have the usual treatments available in large quantities for heat emergencies,” Wasserman said. Read more.