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PRIME-Boston (Prevention of and Response to Incidents of Heat-Related Mental Health Emergencies in Low-income Communities in Boston, MA)

Award Number: R21ES035890
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/06/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2025

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PRIME-Boston (Prevention of and Response to Incidents of Heat-Related Mental Health Emergencies in Low-income Communities in Boston, MA) - Project Summary/Abstract There is growing evidence demonstrating that extreme heat is adversely impacting the mental health of exposed populations. However, there is a need for further research at high spatial and temporal scales that allows for investigation of the role of potential neighborhood-level mediators (e.g., residential greenness or air pollution) and the impacts in potentially vulnerable subgroups. In this mixed-methods study we will investigate the impact of extreme heat on mental health among uninsured and publicly insured individuals in the City of Boston, with a particular focus on understanding how both environmental factors and individual behavioral patterns influence the effects of heat on mental health within this high-risk population. We will first leverage data (2005 – 2019) from a unique emergency services program (Boston Emergency Services Team [BEST]) that services ~18,000 publicly insured and uninsured persons each year in the greater Boston area. In Aim 1, we will assess the relationship between temperature and psychiatric emergency services encounters in the BEST data, with particular focus to diurnal variation in exposure-response that can be leveraged to provide additional care for these high-risk patients. In Aim 2, we will supplement this quantitative data with the collection of semi-structured qualitative interviews with clinicians who are treating BEST patients during warm periods (May 2024 – September 2024). The objective of these interviews is to assess BEST clinician perspectives on the role that extreme heat plays in mental illness, as well as the feasibility of proposed interventions within the BEST population. We will also identify key resources needed by clinicians to support patients who may not have access to traditional protective measures (such as in-home air conditioning) in managing their mental health during periods of extreme heat. This focus on clinical perspectives is a critical innovation of this project, as work on extreme weather and health is often purely epidemiological in nature and thus misses opportunities for effective intervention to support the health of weather-affected populations. Finally, in Aim 3, we will quantify the potential for heterogeneity in the temperature-mental health relationship using the BEST data. We will focus specifically on understanding the potential for heterogeneity in the temperature-mental health relationship by important individual factors and evaluate the potential for effect modification by important covariates, including air pollution, the built environment / urban greenspace, as well as existing interventions intending to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat in the greater Boston area. The findings from Aim 3 will complement the qualitative data produced in Aim 2 to provide a fuller understanding of the factors that contribute to mental health impacts of extreme heat, ranging from social and behavioral to environmental determinants. Overall, this study will provide crucial information to support this high-risk population in the context of extreme heat.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2026	2025	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	85 EAST NEWTON ST # M-921	BOSTON	MA	02118	SUFFOLK	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	11/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $204,172 )
2025	2025	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	85 EAST NEWTON ST # M-921	BOSTON	MA	02118	SUFFOLK	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	8/12/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$204,172
														Subtotal = $204,172

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $261,751 )
2024	2024	TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY	85 EAST NEWTON ST # M-921	BOSTON	MA	02118	SUFFOLK	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	1/5/2024	NEW	$261,751
														Subtotal = $261,751

Grand Total All Awards = $465,923

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PRIME-Boston (Prevention of and Response to Incidents of Heat-Related Mental Health Emergencies in Low-income Communities in Boston, MA)

Award Number: R21ES035890

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/06/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 12/31/2025

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