Blog One : Emergency Power

Emergency Power

A typical backup power system was not good enough for Joe Middleton, the forward-thinking vice president of Bassett Healthcare in upstate New York. "Not only has healthcare technology become more and more sophisticated, but the continuous delivery of electronic medical information has become critical," says Middleton. While the original power control system took care of basic life/safety needs, the recent upgrade was based on Bassett's managerial decision to better serve its patients. These days, Middleton says, the loss of power to an ever-growing number of modern diagnostic and treatment devices is not acceptable. Likewise, the loss of computer access to patient drug histories, digital radiology films, and other electronic records would be a serious setback for doctors, nurses and, ultimately, patients. "A reliable power system really needs to be a bottom-line calculation," he adds. "Unfortunately, most healthcare facilities have not realized this yet." Bassett operates a teaching hospital (the 180-bed Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown), a research institute, and clinics serving eight counties. The company employs 2,800 people and sees about 1,000 outpatients a day on top of regular admissions.