Beat heat: Free water, cool place offered by Kaiser Permanente at Severance Town Center

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio - With temperatures soaring Friday, free water is being provided to area residents at Severance Town Center.

Kaiser Permanente is providing water and a cool place at its Cleveland Heights facility until 8 p.m.

"We care about the communities we serve.  Many residents don't have air conditioning at their homes. This heat wave can have serious health consequences and people need to stay hydrated and cool," said Ron Adams, M.D.

According to Adams, people need to know the difference between heatstroke and heat exhaustion.

Heatstroke is a life-threatening medical emergency, requiring emergency medical treatment. It occurs when the body fails to regulate its own temperature, and body temperature continues to rise. Symptoms of heatstroke include mental changes (such as confusion, delirium, or unconsciousness) and skin that is red, hot, and dry, even under the armpits.

Classic heatstroke can develop without exertion when a person is exposed to a hot environment and the body is unable to cool itself effectively. In this type of heatstroke, the body's ability to sweat and transfer the heat to the environment is reduced. A person with heatstroke may stop sweating. Classic heatstroke may develop over several days. Babies, older adults, and people with chronic health problems have the greatest risk of this type of heatstroke.

Exertional heatstroke may develop when a person is working or exercising in a hot environment. A person with heatstroke from exertion may sweat profusely, but the body still produces more heat than it can lose. This causes the body's temperature to rise to high levels.

Both types of heatstroke cause severe dehydration and can cause body organs to stop functioning.

Heat exhaustion occurs when you are hot, sweat a lot, and do not drink enough to replace the lost fluids. Heat exhaustion is not the same as heatstroke, which is much more serious.