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Kansas City – Area health departments are urging people to drink lots of water and not spend too much time in the sun. They're also working with various places - like libraries - to open public centers where people can go and cool off during the day.
Gay Hall is with the Wyandotte County Health Department, and says workers there are also busy responding to phone calls about the elderly.
"They're sometimes concerned about opening windows because they might not be in a safe area or something," Hall says. "But they need to have air, they need to have a lot of fluids, and there are a lot of public places that are safe to go that are cool."
Hall says the region's 2-1-1 phone-line has specific information about cooling center locations throughout the metro. She also says people should be mindful of the signs of heat-related illnesses, which contributed to three deaths last year in the Kansas City area.
Symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.
Funding for health care coverage on KCUR has been provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City.
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