Cooling centers in St. Joseph are now open for those looking to beat the heat.
Connie Werner with the St. Joseph Health Department said there are certain places that are designated cooling centers.
“That means these places have said ‘ We don’t care if you come in to use our facility or just to stay cold. We’re okay with that’,” Werner said.
There are several cooling centers in St. Joseph that offer relief.
“There are three designated cooling centers that I am aware of: Bartlett Center, the downtown library and the the East Hills Library on the Belt Highway,” Werner said.
Mosaic Life Care reported Friday afternoon that unconfirmed numbers show five people made it through its emergency room for treatment of heat related illnesses. Werner said during extreme heat conditions there are those who tend to be more vulnerable.
“Who we’re concerned about are those that are considered ‘high-risk’. Those would be the very young children, the elderly persons, those persons without homes or those with homes without reliable cooling apparatuses or ways to make their house cold,” Werner said. ” We have concerns about those who have to work outside in the heat.”
Werner said there are warning signs to look for when it comes to overheating.
“If you start having heat cramps, that’s your body’s first indication that something is off, out of rhythm with your normal body. That can then progress to heat exhaustion. Heat exhaustion is a strong warning symbol of your body saying ‘please do something’, ” Werner said. ” If that is not fixed, you can progress to heatstroke. Heatstroke is considered a medical emergency. That is cause for 911.”