PHOENIX — Heat-related deaths increased by 52% in Maricopa County in 2023, according to statistics. Maricopa County Public Health Department.

According to a report released in April, Eighty percent of the deaths were Maricopa County residents, and three-quarters were men.

MCDPH divides heat-related deaths into two categories.

• A heat-related death is a death in which heat is a direct cause of death.
• A fever death is a death caused by a fever, but where the sequence of events was not the cause of the death.

According to the report, the mortality rate due to heat has gradually increased since 2013, from 57% to 59% in 2023.

Heat-related deaths by zip code:

• Phoenix: 340
• Mesa: 51
• Glendale: 35
• Scottsdale: 25
• Temperature: 24
• Avondale: 15
• Chandler: 14
• Sun City: 11
• Lavigne: 9
• Peoria: 9
• Buckeye: 6
• Guadalupe: 6
• Apache: 5
• Youngtown: 5

According to MCDPH, two-thirds of heat-related deaths also involve the use of substances such as drugs or alcohol, and 53% of those involve incidents where only drugs were used. The most commonly used drug was methamphetamine (78%), and 46% of drug-related deaths involved fentanyl.

Maricopa County has hired a Heat Mitigation Program Coordinator whose job is to coordinate resources and address the heat mitigation gaps found in the report.

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In addition to the new coordinator, the county announced plans to increase the number of heat relief locations and expand their hours of operation. It will also provide naloxone and training to staff at heatstroke prevention centers.

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The county also plans to set up and staff a hotline for heat-related issues.