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Heat Dome: Schizophrenia Patients Face Highest Death Toll

9/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

In June 2021, British Columbia's heat dome killed over 600 people, disproportionately affecting individuals with schizophrenia.
People with schizophrenia accounted for 15.7% of heat-related deaths and had three times the risk, worsened by poverty and poor housing.
A rights-based approach is needed, prioritizing access to safe cooling spaces, tailored health strategies, and structural fixes like affordable housing and stigma reduction.

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Story summary

In June 2021, British Columbia's heat dome killed over 600 people, disproportionately affecting individuals with schizophrenia.
People with schizophrenia accounted for 15.7% of heat-related deaths and had three times the risk, worsened by poverty and poor housing.
A rights-based approach is needed, prioritizing access to safe cooling spaces, tailored health strategies, and structural fixes like affordable housing and stigma reduction.