The Women’s Fund launches campaign focused on increasing temperature risk for pregnant women
MIAMI (June 1, 2021) – City of Miami Mayor Suarez and Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava joined forces with community organizations to address the adverse impacts of extreme heat and outline solutions for vulnerable residents on National Heat Awareness Day1, during which The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade shared its new awareness campaign focused on heat-related risks for pregnant women. Mayor Suarez also announced a surprise pledge of $10,000 in support of The Women’s Fund campaign.
“Since 1990, ninety-nine children have died in Florida from being left behind in a hot car, making us #2 in the country—children, pregnant women, and the elderly face the greatest risk of heat stroke and this is a problem that needs to be addressed,” according to Mayor Suarez.
Miami currently has about 25 dangerous heat days per year, which are defined as days that feel 104 degrees or hotter. By 2050 that could increase to over 100 days per year, according to Climate Central, a non-profit news organization. Every year, preventable deaths and illnesses occur with extreme heat being responsible for the highest number of annual deaths nationally among all weather-related hazards.
“We take heat seriously in Miami-Dade County, because it only takes a slightly hotter day to put people’s lives at risk, especially for vulnerable populations and low-income families – and we know many hotter days are coming,” says Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “That’s why I appointed a Chief Heat Officer, the first ever not only in the country but worldwide, to focus on the threat of rising temperatures caused by climate change. We aren’t waiting any longer to take action and help open a path forward for the rest of the country and the world.”
Across the U.S., studies have found marginalized populations, often people of color or with low-income, live in hotter neighborhoods with hotter housing and have less resources to protect themselves from heat.
Heat is variable, and parts of Miami with less shade and more concrete and asphalt may be much hotter than other areas. Low-income seniors, babies and children, individuals working outdoors, and pregnant people are the most vulnerable to high temperatures, often because of a lack of access to air conditioning. Pregnant people, for example, are not able to regulate body temperature as efficiently and heat exposure can alter blood flow and lead to complications, including hypertension, preeclampsia, rupture of membranes, premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.
“The collaboration around National Heat Awareness Day was a perfect example of our community coming together to address challenges as they increase in intensity. To protect our most vulnerable neighbors, including pregnant women, social service groups, concerned citizens, elected officials and others have rallied to raise awareness and highlight solutions with the goal of preventing adverse health impacts,” said Marya Meyer, Executive Director of The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade.
Other groups contributing to awareness and community support include Human Rights Watch, Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, Catalyst Miami, The Urban Heat Group, and the many individuals who contributed to project’s ad hoc Heat Messaging Group.
For more information and tips to beat the heat, visit:
- The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade heat health webpage – https://womensfundmiami.org/heathealth
- National Weather Service information – https://www.weather.gov/safety/heat
- CDC information – https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/extreme-heat-guidebook.pdf
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EDITOR’S NOTE
See accompanying photo and campaign images via this link.
The National Heat Awareness Day press event live stream video may be found here or viewed below. – https://www.instagram.com/p/CPa-VONCOf3/?fbclid=IwAR0ooQthi359Qy_Ra6iTNaAiIoCSPc3TnzFDDznSwtBwzBaEWmJMfKwZsVI
ABOUT THE WOMEN’S FUND MIAMI-DADE
The Women’s Fund Miami-Dade works to create a world where power and possibility are not limited by gender by creating change for women and girls through advocacy, investment, and collective impact. For 28 years, The Women’s Fund has worked to improve the lives of women and girls through action, advocacy, and investment in collaborative initiatives that generate impact across our four pillars: Economic Mobility, Leadership, Health & Well-being, and Freedom from Violence. The organization has provided almost $4 million of funding to support some 500 programs serving over 75,000 women and girls throughout Miami-Dade County and 2021 is bringing powerful new ways for us to move the needle together.
