Power Outage Partners Provides

Life Saving Power to Life Support Patients

For life support users living at home, power outages can trigger a life and death race against time.

About Us

Today, Power Outage Partners is working to provide life-saving power to life support patients living at home so they can breathe a little easier the next time the power goes out.

Power Outage Partners is an innovative new initiative that connects life support patients with funding opportunities so they can purchase additional battery capacity to extend device run time, affording more time to safely evacuate. In short duration outages, the need to evacuate may be averted.

Power Outage Partners also works with DME suppliers and home health agencies to develop a detailed census of individuals relying on life support devices and other durable medical equipment at home in specific jurisdictions. This census can provide government officials with previously unavailable data on virtually every DME user, a major improvement for jurisdictions that have relied on voluntary special needs registries to identify DME-dependent individuals.

Registries have long been criticized by disability advocates given their inability to include all DME users and the risk that individuals listed on the registry will ignore their personal responsibilities to develop a disaster plan. In situations in which help does not materialize, this lack of planning can prove deadly.

The inaugural Power Outage Partners initiative was launched as a pilot in Louisiana, a state that has seen more than its share of natural disasters. The latest Power Outage Partners initiative is being launched in Texas, a state where recent natural disasters, including Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Hurricane Beryl in 2024, created deadly challenges for individuals depending on electric powered medical devices.

Power Outage Partners stands ready to help other jurisdictions boost power outage support for life support users. Click here to access the ASTHO Toolkit and other resources to help your jurisdiction step up power outage assistance for life support users.

Power Outage Perils

Stories of Survival and Loss

Share your story of survival or loss to help policy makers understand the urgent need to boost power outage support for life support users.

Project Showcase

Cutting Edge Solutions for Life Support Users

Louisiana broke new ground when it launched the inaugural Power Outage Partners pilot project. California utilities have also launched groundbreaking initiatives. Texas has become the latest state to launch an initiative. Will your jurisdiction be next?

Launch an Initiative

ASTHO Toolkit Provides Roadmap to Success

ASTHO’s comprehensive toolkit will serve as a roadmap, helping your jurisdiction launch a Power Outage Partners initiative modeled after Louisiana’s project, or guiding you in the development and launch of other approaches matched to your jurisdiction’s available resources.

Showcase Partners

Strength in Partnerships

The success of Power Outage Partners rests on its partnerships with disability and patient advocacy organizations, government agencies, durable medical equipment suppliers and leading manufacturers of advanced battery technologies. We’re proud to showcase our partners and invite you to become a partner today.

Why This Work Matters

Tia Sibley, CRT

Baton Rouge

"Having worked in the DME industry for many years, I’ve seen first-hand the challenges invasively ventilated individuals and their families face during power outages. The funding being provided through Power Outage Partners to extend ventilator run time for our most vulnerable patients is going to be a game changer. I’m proud to be working with the leaders of Power Outage Partners to help launch this groundbreaking initiative."

Warren Hebert, Executive Director

Home Care Association of Louisiana

“Among Hurricane Katrina’s most tragic outcomes was the deadly impact power outages and flooding had on individuals with disabilities, especially those who depended on life support equipment in their home. Power Outage Partners should be saluted for helping invasively ventilated Louisianans extend ventilator run time during an outage. This support can help save lives in future disasters.”

Jessica Michot, Co-Founder

Trach Mommas

“As a mother who lost two children who were invasively ventilated, I’ve channeled my grief by supporting other families with invasively ventilated children through the work of Trach Mommas, a non-profit I co-founded in 2016.

I know that power outages can be a nightmare for any parent with a ventilated child, especially since few families have generators and back up battery run time varies so much between older and newer ventilator models. I applaud the Louisiana Department of Health for launching Power Outage Partners, an innovative program that seeks to provide up to 24 hours or more of battery run time for invasively ventilated individuals. This assistance is going to make a huge difference for the families we support when the power goes out.”

Contact Us

No one should be left powerless, especially during critical moments. Whether you’re a person living with a disability, a caregiver, a health organization, or a concerned citizen, we need your involvement to continue making an impact. Help us advocate for policy changes, support initiatives, and educate communities.

Have more questions?

Your voice matters to us at Power Outage Partners. Whether you have a question, an idea, or just want to chat about how we can make a difference together, we’d love to hear from you.