PHILADELPHIA (October 5, 2026) – Hospitals should make nurse staffing and supportive nurse work environments a core part of extreme heat emergency preparedness, according to a new editorial from Penn Nursing ’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), as record-breaking temperatures and heat-related emergency department visits continue to rise across the United States. The editorial appears in Public Health Nursing.
Senior author Eileen T. Lake, PhD, RN, FAAN , the Edith Clemmer Steinbright Professor in Gerontology, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, and CHOPR Associate Director, along with co-authors Domenique Villani, MPH, RN, a CHOPR T32 predoctoral fellow and Ysabella Perez, BA, new Penn alum and CHOPR research assistant, argue that building health system climate resilience requires ensuring bedside nurses have the organizational capacity and resources needed to deliver timely care and continuous surveillance during heat events. This research builds upon CHOPR research that establishes the link between nurse staffing and the work environment and myriad patient outcomes, including mortality.
The authors emphasize that heat-related illness management requires immediate, resource-intensive nursing surveillance to prevent complications including multi-organ failure and rapid patient deterioration. Insufficient staffing and inadequate support can severely limit a health system’s ability to deliver standard-of-care treatments during sudden volume surges caused by heat waves. To prepare for increasing environmental public health emergencies, the editorial outlines actionable recommendations across research, education, practice, and policy, urging health system leaders to incorporate nurse staffing and workplace environment investments directly into disaster preparedness planning.
"Extreme heat is no longer just a public health issue—it is an immediate hospital preparedness priority that requires treating nurse staffing and supportive work environments as essential emergency infrastructure," the authors emphasize.
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The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. Ranked the #1 nursing school in the world by QS World University (2026)—a distinction its held nine prior times—Penn Nursing is also home to the nation’s #1-ranked BSN program according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings, with graduate programs also consistently ranked among the nation's best. As the top National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded nursing research institution in the U.S., Penn Nursing integrates innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based practice to prepare nurse scientists, clinicians, and leaders to meet the complex health needs of a global society. Follow Penn Nursing: Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram .
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