Dr. Terrell Jenrette Offers Hot Weather Tips

ROCKMART, Ga., July 21, 2025 – The National Weather Service is calling for a heat index above 100 degrees the next few days, and it's important to protect yourself and your loved ones from heat exhaustion and heatstroke during this sizzling summer.

Young children and older adults are particularly susceptible to getting overheated.

Children are smaller than adults and their bodies tend to get overheated more quickly. They can also be unaware of how they are feeling as they play.

And, while senior adults might be less active outside than kids, they can be very vulnerable to the heat. Older adults also are more likely to take prescription medications that hamper the body's ability to adapt to hotter weather.

“Blood pressure medications often include diuretics, which can cause you to become dehydrated more quickly," said Dr. Terrell Jenrette, with Atrium Health Floyd Primary Care Family Medicine in Rockmart. “Check on your older relatives and neighbors and make sure they are staying hydrated and doing what they can to keep cool."

Here are some tips from Dr. Jenrette to help you keep your cool in soaring temperatures.

• Be strategic about outdoor time. Limit outdoor work to after 7 p.m. if possible. Be careful about performing any intense physical activities outside during the hottest part of the day.
• Take breaks. Rest frequently in the shade if possible if you are working outside.
• Dress appropriately. Wear lighter colors and looser clothing that can help wick sweat away from your skin in hot temperatures. Don't forget a hat and sunscreen!
• Drink water. Drink plenty of water or a sports drink with electrolytes, even if you aren't thirsty. Don't wait until you are already overheated.
• Practice car safety. Don't leave people or pets alone in a parked car, even for just a few minutes. You might leave the engine and air conditioner running, but if the engine stalls, the interior of the vehicle will heat up fast, especially if it is parked in the sun.
• Watch for heat illness symptoms. Signs of heat exhaustion include pale skin, fatigue, weakness, increased thirst, fainting, headache, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, muscle cramps, irritability, mild fever and cool, clammy skin. Symptoms of heatstroke — the most dangerous heat-related illness — can include confusion, fast breathing, rapid heartbeat, severe headache, dizziness, weakness, passing out, little or no sweating, body temperature over 105 degrees and flushed skin that's hot and dry. Heatstroke is a medical emergency and can be deadly. If someone exhibits these symptoms, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department immediately.

Click here to find Atrium Health Floyd Urgent Care locations.

About Atrium Health Floyd
The Atrium Health Floyd family of health care services is a leading medical provider and economic force in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Floyd strategically combined with Harbin Clinic in 2024 and employs more than 5,200 teammates who provide care in over 40 medical specialties at four facilities: Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center – a 361-bed full-service, acute care hospital and regional referral center in Rome, Georgia; Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia; and Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, Alabama; and Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Behavioral Health, also in Rome. Together, Atrium Health Floyd and Harbin Clinic provide primary care, specialty care and urgent care throughout northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. Atrium Health Floyd also operates a stand-alone emergency department in Chattooga County, the first such facility to be built from the ground-up in Georgia.

​About Advocate Health 
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Advocate Health is nationally recognized for its expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs more than 160,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to redefining care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.