More Californians Are Freezing to Death. Experts Point to More Older Homeless People.
“SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A growing number of people — many of them older and homeless — are freezing to death during winter.
Hypothermia from exposure to cold temperatures was the underlying or contributing cause of death for 166 Californians last year, more than double the number a decade ago, according to provisional death certificate data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The age-adjusted rate of 3.7 deaths per million residents in 2023 was the highest in the state in at least 25 years.
Hypothermia deaths have also increased nationwide, with about 2,520 Americans dying last year, up about 35% from 2014, provisional CDC data shows. It was even worse in 2022: 3,500 hypothermia deaths, many of them during brutal winter storms across much of the country in January and December. ”
Read more at Kaiser Health News.