As heat index values rose into the triple digits this week, the Triangle’s three major hospital systems are continuing to see patients affected by the heat.
So far this week, WakeMed’s emergency departments treated 53 patients for heat-related illnesses. That’s about half of the heat-related cases they’ve seen this month. And there’s also been a general uptick in the emergency departments of UNC Health and Duke Health.
Dr. Joshua Ring is the associate director of Duke Regional Hospital’s emergency department. He said compared to how many people they see in a typical summer, the uptick in patients affected by the heat is noticeable this year…