PAPO: A Policy-Aware Personalized Opportunity Framework for Heatwave Public Health Interventions

Extreme heat events are increasing in frequency and severity due to climate change, disproportionately affecting older adults and individuals with chronic conditions. While digital surveillance and AI systems can process environmental and health data in real time, public health policies and institutional response mechanisms often evolve slowly. This mismatch creates delays, fragmented guidance, and cognitive burden for both practitioners and citizens. We propose the Policy-Aware Personalized Opportunity (PAPO) framework, a middle-range, design-oriented AI framework that translates high-level public health policy into personalized, actionable intervention opportunities during heatwaves. PAPO emphasizes opportunity creation rather than risk signaling, aligning institutional intent with real-time systems and individual contexts. Using a heatwave case vignette, we illustrate how PAPO bridges the gap between slow institutional decision-making and fast-changing environmental and individual needs, while maintaining human oversight and institutional accountability.