From fires and floods to earthquakes — and now record-setting high temperatures — your hospitals have seen it all. The recent heatwave posed unique challenges to the state’s energy grid, and although hospitals were specifically exempted from any potential rotating outages, Hospital Council truly thanks you for conserving power when possible while ensuring patient safety was never compromised.
While this latest heatwave has thankfully subsided, Hospital Council and CHA are continuing to work with PG&E on a number of power-related issues, including public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), enhanced powerline safety settings (fast-tripping), infrastructure hardening, and more.
We have seen great results from this partnership, and these efforts will continue as we work to ensure that hospitals are able to stay powered, no matter the situation. This includes:
- Continuing to categorize hospitals as “critical facilities”
- Continued backup generation for hospitals
- Grid-hardening prioritization for hospitals
In addition, a number of resources are available to assist hospitals in the midst of a power-related emergency:
- Emergency Load Reduction Program
- California ISO (CAISO)
- CAISO Flex Alert Sign-Up
- ISO Today App
- PG&E Rotating Outage Information
- PG&E PSPS Updates
- PG&E Wildfire Safety
- CAL Fire Incidents
- Intellicast Weather Map
It remains to be seen what challenge Mother Nature will throw at hospitals next, but we are committed to helping you navigate whatever situations arise so that you can continue to care for your communities.
Thank you for your dedication to providing the best health care for all Californians.