Why You Need Generators for Hospitals and the Healthcare Industry

Hospital generators do more than fuel patient care during a power outage. They also offer critical support to maintain valuable data and communication, offer peace of mind to patients and families, and keep revenue consistent. Here’s a look at how healthcare and hospital generators impact the industry and why they’re essential to maintaining a reputation for reliability. 

Power Essential Life Support

When you hear about a power outage disaster at a hospital or healthcare clinic, critical care is usually on the top of mind. Life support requires hospital generators to work continuously and efficiently to sustain human life. There is no margin for error, making it necessary to regularly service and test your hospital generators. Beyond life support, medical monitors and IVs rely on power to maintain human life and ensure patient care is administered correctly and quickly.

Even with permanent generators in place, portable generators are also a lifesaving strategy during complex natural disasters. FEMA reported that during Superstorm Sandy, a large hospital lost emergency power when fuel pumps were submerged underwater. With no emergency power, the hospital evacuated all but two patients who could not be moved. To sustain the life of the patients, the National Guard had to hand-carry fuel to higher floors for weeks to keep portable generators running. Although not an ideal situation, portable generators kept critical care patients alive and cared for during the disaster. 

Maintain Essential Data

Administrative tasks are integral to keeping a hospital or clinic running and patients safe. Although data and files likely exist in the cloud, issues still arise from power outages. Computers that are suddenly powered off and not saved properly can corrupt files or lose valuable data. Medical records also need to be accessed quickly to maintain critical patient care that could turn into high-stakes communication. Hospital generators safeguard data and turn a power outage into an inconvenience instead of a crisis.

Safeguards Medication

Medication can expire quickly or turn toxic when they are improperly stored. Hospitals and healthcare centers require massive, refrigerated space to keep drugs away from sunlight and prevent moisture. Beyond the impact for patients, hospitals are also at risk of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medication and must delay routine patient care.

Prevents Patient Care Interruptions

When the power goes out, hospitals and clinics ultimately delay non-essential procedures. Delay in routine care negatively impacts the patient and can lead to long-term health problems and an escalation of issues. The interruption also leads to interrupted revenue, a backlog of procedures, and staffing issues.

Fuels Field Hospitals

When a natural disaster strikes, hospitals and healthcare centers often turn away patients due to a lack of resources. Spillover facilities are usually established, otherwise known as field hospitals, and are temporarily constructed outdoors to meet urgent healthcare needs. Beyond natural disasters, portable generators are also ideal for running COVID vaccination and flu shot clinics to meet the needs of a large community without sacrificing indoor space.

Keeps Food from Spoiling

There are other reasons hospital generators are necessary beyond healthcare saving measures. Although healthcare industries can reduce food waste by planning and reducing production, hospital generators can also help. Studies show that hospitals generate nearly 30 pounds of food waste per bed per day. When the power goes out, hundreds of dollars worth of food expire or spoil, leaving everyone from patients to families and staff scrambling to find alternative solutions.

Maintains Patient Comfort and Peace of Mind

Beyond the need for medical care, a hot, dark hospital with rising tensions overpower issues is a poor patient experience. Imagine going to the hospital for an emergency, being checked in to spend the week, and enduring a blackout. Patients and their families deserve the peace of mind that the hospital or clinic can deal with an emergency and provide a baseline level for comfort. Patients choose care and give their insurance dollars and deductibles to hospitals with a reputation for reliability and quality.

Next Steps

Are you interested in securing hospital generators or backup generators for your clinic? Learn more about our services, backup generators, and how Industrial Engine Co can help protect your patients and keep your facilities running. Contact us today.