Work with Disability Advocates to Ensure All Using Medical Equipment Have Backups

Two of my colleagues could have been seriously injured or died during Xcel's unannounced shutdown on the first weekend of April. One is a fellow advocate who has a spinal cord injury that gives her minimal motion in her hands. She requires electricity to move in her electric chair or keep essential medications cool. Another is the husband of a disability rights advocate, who has ASL and requires 24/7 ventilator access and constant heating and cooling in his home to regulate his body temperature, was also put at risk.

My friends were alive and okay because they were on Medicaid and a fantastic program by Julia Beams at the University of Colorado's Center for Inclusive Engineering and Design that offers long-term, rechargeable backup batteries to run essential medical equipment for a few days. This program ensures that individuals can shelter in place or have enough time to safely get to a location with emergency power, like a hospital, that can run life-sustaining medical equipment. However, my colleagues represent just a few of the 113,000 medical device-dependent individuals in Colorado identified by FEMA. And this number doesn't include the tens of thousands more who have private insurance and depend on medical devices or temperature control of their environment to stay alive.

Despite numerous attempts to reach power utilities in Colorado, Xcel has yet to speak with experts like Julia Beems. Organizations like Independent Living Centers, CCDC, and CCLP can work with Xcel to make our communities more resilient for people of all abilities and prepare for the inevitable increase in power outages that come with climate change. Within the CO Government, the CDPHE Health Equity Commission, DOLA, and the CO Department of Healthcare Policy and Finance, there is information and expertise to help utilities create intelligent plans for power outages. But silos keep communities, the PUC, and unities from helping each other do better.

The PUC can start breaking down those silos by requiring energy utilities to do more than put people with disabilities dependent on energy on a registry list. Make them connect to stakeholders and community organizations for people with disabilities to determine:

1. How can robust alert systems be provided so individuals with disabilities know a chosen power outage is coming?
2. How can utilities help everyone who needs medical equipment backup batteries that last at least 48 hours know how to get one?
3. Establish locations across the state where power will be available through generators or solar-powered battery banks.

Just assuming hospitals will be up and working is not good enough.

Experts and people with disabilities with lived experience are here and ready to help Xcel and other Colorado utilities create safe and intelligent plans to ensure everyone can survive a power outage. The PUC is setting an excellent example through its Equity group; let's make Xcel and other energy utilities follow in your footsteps.

Contact me, Amy PH, at Colorado Cross Disability Coalition at www.ccdconline.org.