Chicago, Illinois, USA, 12 February 2019: The American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) is partnering with Powered for Patients on a Department of Homeland Security-funded project, to help ensure hospital safety during disasters, the body announced in a Press communiqué.

The project seeks to leverage fault-detection and automated-reporting technologies to provide real-time alerts to government officials and utilities if emergency power in a hospital is threatened during a disaster, the communiqué said. ASHE will be providing important input on a new voluntary protocol and best practice to guide how hospitals will share this vital information, the communiqué further said.

According to ASHE, the society is seeking members who are currently using fault-detection and automated-reporting technology for their emergency power systems to actively engage in the initiative in two ways. First, by engaging in discussions, ASHE members can help shape the voluntary protocol on sharing real-time emergency power system status reports, the communiqué said. Second, members also can volunteer as test sites for a pilot project administered by Powered for Patients, the communiqué further said. The project will test the real-time data sharing process of facilities across the United States during the second quarter of 2019, the communiqué also said. One valuable and immediate outcome of engagement in this project, the communiqué added, will be better coordination between ASHE members, their state and local governments and utilities, in terms of addressing threats to emergency power.