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Health and Safety

Report shows persons who depend on electrically-powered medical equipment at risk

Report shows persons who depend on electrically-powered medical equipment at risk
DEM Blogger
February 25, 2021
Child with nebulizer

Small boy doing inhalation, sitting on a floor with toys in light interior

Extreme  weather  driven  by  climate  change  is  making  power  outages  more commonplace  even  as  the  need  for  electricity-dependent  home  health equipment  grows.

In  this  context,  battery  storage  can  help  protect  medically  vulnerable households,  according  to  researchers  at  Columbia  University  Mailman  School of  Public  Health.  The  article  is  published  in  the  journal  Futures.

For  the  millions  reliant  on  electricity  for  home  medical  equipment,  even  short term  power  outages  can  lead  to  a  potentially  life-threatening  situation. Society’s  most  vulnerable  populations: elders,  the  ill,  and  the  poor face  the greatest  risks. Only  a  fraction  of  individuals  who  rely  on  medical  equipment  like  oxygen concentrators,  nebulizers,  ventilators,  dialysis,  and  sleep  apnea  machines have  an  alternative  source  of  power  to  use  in  the  event  of  an  outage.

During  outages  related  to  the  2019  Camp  Fire  in  Northern  California, vulnerable  residents  reported  complications,  including  one  man  who  awoke when  his  sleep  apnea  breathing  machine  failed  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and he  couldn’t  breathe.  One  woman  had  to  spend  the  night  in  her  wheelchair because  her  special  mattress  required  electricity  to  remain  inflated.

The  researchers  call  for  policies  to  support  resilient  power  systems ideally, battery  storage  paired  with  solar  photovoltaics that  provide  clean,  reliable emergency  backup  power  by  storing  electricity  for  use  when  grid  power  is unavailable. One  model  is  the  California  Self-Generation  Incentive  Program,  which provides  incentives  for  residential  battery  storage,  and  includes  energy storage  incentives  for  lowincome  residents.

Additional  lessons  come  from  a  study  in  Puerto  Rico  after  Hurricane  Maria, which  found  that  residents  preferred  solar-powered  battery  backups  to  diesel generators  due  to  ease  of  use,  low  cost,  and  elimination  of  fumes  that exacerbate  asthma  and  other  lung  conditions.

Community  facilities  like  senior  centers,  public  schools,  and  health  centers often  lack  backup  power,  too.  During  an  emergency,  vulnerable  residents typically  turn  to  these  facilities  for  heating/cooling,  refrigeration  to  store perishable  items  and  temperature regulated  medicines,  lighting,  and  outlets to  charge  cell  phones  and  medical  equipment.  Without  backup  power,  critical facilities  ultimately  must  limit  operations  or  close  entirely.

Read the complete report

Related Items#health#medical#poweroutage
Health and Safety
February 25, 2021
DEM Blogger

Related Items#health#medical#poweroutage

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