Project Showcase
Storm Ravaged Louisiana Launches First Power Outage Partners Pilot Initiative
Few states have borne a greater toll from natural disasters than Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the state in 2005, killing nearly 1,600 residents. Less deadly but still powerful hurricanes have pummeled Louisiana since. Other natural disasters have also wreaked havoc, including a 2021 winter storm that triggered widespread power outages across northern Louisiana.
Louisianans have always been resilient so it’s no surprise that Louisiana launched the nation’s first Power Outage Partners pilot project, a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to provide life-saving power to life support patients during power outages.
The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) began planning work in July 2021 with CDC funding and project management support from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). ASTHO hired Eric Cote, an expert in power outage planning for individuals with disabilities, to work with LDH to develop an operational plan for the initiative.
Cote’s initial work with LDH officials focused on identify invasively ventilated Louisianans living at home and then helping these individuals secure funding to purchase additional batteries to extend ventilator runtime.
LDH officials identified three Medicaid waiver funds that could be used by waiver participants to purchase additional battery capacity for ventilators and other life support equipment.
Cote cultivated partnerships with durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers and case management firms hired by LDH to provide case management support for invasively ventilated Medicaid beneficiaries and their families. The DME suppliers and case management agencies provided Cote with detailed information about the types of life support equipment used by individuals and the number of batteries they had on hand. Cote used this data to develop recommendations on suitable battery systems that would provide individuals with 24 hours or more of runtime for most life support equipment and 20 hours or more of runtime for devices used while evacuating.
With CDC funding exhausted in late 2023, the Louisiana initiative reverted from its operational footing to a planning mode. As funding is identified, the process of connecting invasively ventilated individuals with battery systems is expected to accelerate. Thankfully, the detailed work in Louisiana to determine the unique battery needs of individuals will prove useful as other jurisdictions consider launching their own initiatives.
For other jurisdictions inspired by Louisiana’s Power Outage Partners initiative, ASTHO has published a Toolkit that chronicles the Louisiana project and serves as a roadmap jurisdictions can use to boost power outage support for life support users.