Harris County’s assisted living and nursing homes must now have backup power generators that can supply both heating and cooling.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones stated that the new county-level regulation is the first of its kind in the state.
“These backup generators will help save lives and protect our seniors and most vulnerable residents,” Briones stated. She went on to say that elderly residents are more susceptible to severe temperatures and rely on electricity to keep life-saving equipment operational.
New nursing homes are not required to provide heating or cooling, although state regulations do mandate that they have generators. Last year, agency spokesperson Jennifer Ruffcorn told The Texas Newsroom that Texas Health and Human Services expects facilities to maintain safe and acceptable temperatures whether they are working normally or having an outage.
Facilities are only required by state law to have generators to power emergency alerts, such as the nurse call system and exit signs, and to light specific areas. Generators are not even necessary in assisted living facilities.
The estimated 120 assisted living and nursing home facilities in Harris County are affected by the county’s recent amendment.
Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen stated, “Our goal is to ensure our family members are in a safe place at all times when we take them to these facilities.” The fact that these facilities lack power backups is something that many people are unaware of.
Following Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, when many of senior care facilities lost electricity for weeks due to triple-digit heat, that became risky. Seniors made up the majority of individuals who passed away after Beryl.
According to Christensen, following the disaster, 30 assisted living facilities and 14 nursing homes lost power. She added that at least one of the scores of elderly people who passed away after Beryl was residing in a facility.
“In the next oppressive heat, the next hurricane, there will be backup systems in place here in Harris County because we are taking the lead in setting higher standards of protection and safety,” she stated.
Christensen acknowledged that certain facilities, particularly smaller assisted living complexes, might not be able to afford to buy large generators.
“We also recognize that this has a cost to the businesses, which is why we offered this time frame for working with you. “Let us assist you in getting to the appropriate location and wearing the appropriate gear,” she stated. “We want to work with you.”
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