Preventing and Responding to Heat-Related Mental Health Emergencies in Low-Income Boston
PRIME-Boston (Prevention of and Response to Incidents of Heat-Related Mental Health Emergencies in Low-income Communities in Boston, MA)
This project looks at how hot weather affects mental health for uninsured and publicly insured people in Boston and what neighborhood or care factors might help.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11360487 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We combine long-term emergency services records with interviews to learn when and why heat worsens mental health for low-income Boston residents. Researchers will analyze 2005–2019 Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) data to link hourly temperature patterns with psychiatric emergency encounters and explore neighborhood factors like greenness and air pollution. They will also conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians who treat BEST patients during warm months to understand care challenges and timing. The mixed-methods approach is intended to point to times and places where extra outreach or resources could reduce heat-related mental health crises.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People in Boston who are uninsured or publicly insured and who have used or might use psychiatric emergency services during hot weather, and clinicians who treat these patients, are the primary focus.
Not a fit: People living outside Boston, those with reliable cooling and little heat exposure, or individuals without mental health needs are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could help emergency teams and clinics better time and target outreach or resources to prevent and respond to heat-related mental health crises in vulnerable Boston neighborhoods.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked extreme heat to worse mental health, but combining high-resolution emergency services data with clinician interviews in this local, mixed-methods way is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oblath, Rachel — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Oblath, Rachel
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.