Saving Lives in Extreme Heat

It's warming up in Arizona. Did you know that Pima County offers cooling centers as places where anyone can go to escape extreme heat?

Researchers Heidi Brown and Ladd Keith of the Climate Assessment for the Southwest within the Arizona Institute for Resilience are working together with the Pima County Health Department to evaluate cooling centers – and finding solutions to help protect lives across the Southwest. 

Watch the video below to learn about extreme heat in the Southwest, and visit the CLIMAS website for more on related heat research. 

Film directed and produced by Elena Greenberg and Gigi Owen. Watch more short films on the CLIMAS YouTube channel. 

Centers are open this summer from June 1-August 31, 2025, including holidays: Juneteenth (June 19) and Independence Day (July 4). 

Find a free cooling center near you! Access more community resources, such as housing, rent and utility assistance on the Pima County Health Department's website. Get a free ride to a cooling center by calling 2-1-1 or view more heat relief information on the 2-1-1 website. 

*If you live outside of Pima County, check your county or city website for information about cooling centers.

Originally published by the Climate Assessment for the Southwest >>