People cool off in the Willamette River at Wallace Marine Park on Saturday, June 26, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
About 250 Oregonians sought emergency room or urgent care for heat-related illnesses on Monday as the state recorded its highest-ever temperatures in many cities, including Salem.
Salem Health also saw an increase in heat-related complaints. From June 26 to 28, the hospital recorded 71 patient visits to the emergency department and 12 hospital admissions for heat-related health issues, spokeswoman Lisa Wood said.
The Oregon Health Authority released data Tuesday showing a spike in people seeking medical care for heat-related illnesses over the weekend and on Monday as temperatures climbed.
Salem recorded a record-shattering high of 117 degrees Monday, its third straight day of triple-digit temperatures.
From June 25 to June 28, 506 Oregonians visited the emergency room or urgent care with a heat-related illness, OHA spokeswoman Delia Hernandez said.
A June 29 graph from the Oregon Health Authority shows a rise in heat-related emergency and urgent care visit as the state recorded its highest-ever temperatures.
That includes 27 visits on June 25, 63 on June 26, 165 on June 27 and 251 on June 28, Hernandez said. Most days in June, the state has recorded fewer than 10 people seeking care for heat-related illness.
The information is drawn from hospitals across the state, including Salem Health.
-Rachel Alexander
