Heat-related hospital visits increasing as temperatures soar in Waterloo Region
Posted Jul 29, 2025 05:49:23 AM.
Last Updated Jul 29, 2025 12:58:21 PM.
As people in Waterloo Region have been coping with multiple heat events this summer, heat-related visits to hospitals have been on the rise.
Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) confirmed to 570 NewsRadio that this summer “has the highest number of visits due to heat-related illnesses,” compared to the May-July periods of the past several years.
According to the hospital, the 15 heat-related visits this summer were mostly in June, when nine people came to the emergency department, followed by another five in July alone.
Of those 15 visits, only one patient was admitted to hospital for ongoing care.
CMH noted that these problems include heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dizziness, heat rash and more.
“During the heat waves, we definitely do see an increase in heat-related injuries (and) an increased number of people concerned that someone may be experiencing a heat-related illness,” said Dr. Colin Yardley, medical director at Waterloo Regional Health Network @ Queen’s Boulevard, adding that they don’t track specific numbers.
Yardley says those illnesses range “from fairly minor cases of heat cramps, all the way to much more severe cases of a true heat stroke, which is an acute life-threatening situation.”
He added that you should visit an emergency department, or take someone there, if there are any signs of confusion or neurological symptoms, or when experiencing chest pain, extreme fatigue, thirst, headaches, nausea, dizziness, or even really diffuse muscle aches and cramps.
Yardley recommends avoiding strenuous physical activity during extreme heat, staying hydrated and cool and going to a cooling centre. He hopes everyone will check on friends and neighbours who might be vulnerable to the heat.
