One of the most important priorities for Powered for Patients identified at the initial Stakeholder Meeting was engaging in national dialogue about safeguarding backup power, expediting power restoration and providing support for at-risk citizens dependent on electric-powered medical devices during prolonged power outages.
Powered for Patients has been very active on this front, participating in numerous regional and national meetings and conferences that have provided opportunity for important conversations and information sharing.
Important thought leadership from Powered for Patients was provided in 2017 with the publication of two important documents. Roadmap to Resiliency, a white paper co-authored with the American Society of Healthcare Engineering, detailed a number of advanced technologies that enhance emergency power resiliency. The white paper also detailed new protocols advanced by Powered for Patients that provide an early warning to government officials when emergency power is threatened at critical healthcare facilities during times of disaster.
The Protecting Patients When Disaster Strikes Playbook details the key responsibilities of stakeholders across a four-phase planning and operational continuum to safeguard emergency power systems and expedite power restoration.
The Playbook also introduces the new protocols to provide an early warning to state officials when hospital generator power is threatened during a disaster that were also addressed in Roadmap to Resiliency. These new protocols are expected to become a national model for enhancing situational awareness of emergency power system status during disasters.
In addition to its continued presence at key national meetings and conferences, Powered for Patients will continue to engage in national dialogue through the Powered for Patients website and social media channels.