Who
- Member hospitals
- Hospital Council
What
For many hospitals in the north state, the threat of wildfires and the related power outages are a real threat to their ability to provide patient care and remain solvent. Most of them are served by PG&E and, thanks to improvements in weather modeling, vegetation reduction, grid hardening, and collaborative efforts with Hospital Council and CHA, no hospitals served by PG&E in the last two years have experienced a power outage during public safety power shutoffs (PSPS).
Unfortunately, the threat from wildfire continues to increase, and more work is needed. Efforts are well under way to ensure that no hospital loses power from PSPS this year. Because of the increased wildfire risk in California, a new PG&E program, enhanced power safety shutoffs (EPSS), has been implemented throughout the utility’s service area. While EPSS is a proven method for reducing wildfire risk, it will be a busy year as hospitals and PG&E work together to implement this new program and manage its impacts on hospital operations. This pattern of increasing threats and evolving measures to meet them is proving to be the new normal. Fortunately, collaborative efforts are proving very effective as well.
Takeaway/Next Steps
For informational purposes only.