Date of Award

January 2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Jeannette Ickovics

Second Advisor

Danya Keene

Abstract

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the United States and New York City, with disproportionate impacts in low-income, racialized neighborhoods and among outdoor workers who spend long hours exposed to high temperatures, limited shade, and few labor protections. In New York City, these gaps have prompted interest in new approaches to providing immediate heat relief to outdoor workers in neighborhoods with high heat vulnerability. Thus, this thesis evaluates the Collaborative Solutions for Outdoor Workers’ Extreme Heat Relief Pilot, a community-based intervention implemented in summer 2025 in two New York City neighborhoods with elevated heat vulnerability in the Bronx and Queens.

Using a mixed methods design, I integrated quantitative data from environmental monitoring, structure site metrics, and participant surveys with qualitative data from planning workshops, semi-structured interviews with community partners and city agency staff, and a multi-stakeholder wrap-up evaluation session. Environmental sensors and thermal imaging were used to compare conditions in misting tents, shaded areas, and unshaded locations. Surveys assessed participants’ experiences of cooling stations, resource use, and work-related heat management, while interviews and workshops explored implementation processes, barriers, and facilitators.

The pilot demonstrated that pop-up cooling stations are a feasible and acceptable mechanism for providing immediate heat relief to outdoor workers and other community members. Environmental monitoring showed meaningful reductions in air and surface temperatures within misting tents compared to unshaded areas, particularly on high heat days. Survey respondents overwhelmingly reported that the cooling stations helped them cool down and identified shade, water, and misting as the most vulnerable resources. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of trusted community partners, visible and accessible siting, multilingual outreach, and flexible design, as well as persistent barriers related to work schedules, informal employment, and limited access to restrooms and water.

These findings suggest that pop-up cooling stations, when embedded within broader public health, occupational safety, and climate resilience efforts, and co-designed with community organizations, can help address immediate heat risks for outdoor workers while illuminating structural gaps that require policy and regulatory action.

Comments

This thesis is restricted to Yale network users only. It will be made publicly available on 09/16/2028

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