Four out of every five Florida nursing homes have now installed either permanent or temporary generators to comply with a new law, said the head of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration.
Secretary Mary Mayhew declared Tuesday that 42% of the state’s nursing homes have permanent generators on site, while about 38% have installed temporary units. Many of the facilities with temporary generators are likely awaiting final state approval and those will eventually be the facility’s permanent generator, she added.
All other facilities are awaiting delivery of generators, except for two, which say they would evacuate before any storm would hit, she said.
“I think it’s clear after our last experience here, with this near miss [with Hurricane Dorian], that Florida has made tremendous progress in its emergency preparedness,” Mayhew said while speaking during a health policy meeting for Florida state senators.
Emergency generators and access to backup power became a requirement for Florida providers under a new law following 2017’s Hurricane Irma and the death of 12 nursing home residents.
“Because of the tragedy that occurred here in Florida, there has been, and rightfully so, laser beam focus on backup power … that in the case of a power outage, there is an ability for these facilities to protect our most vulnerable and to provide cooling,” Mayhew said.
Florida providers are being put on a short leash regarding the new law. Mayhew noted the state agency has issued more than 230 fines for noncompliance. She said she is soliciting provider feedback about challenges, while urging remaining non-generator holders into compliance.
“I am reluctant to approve any variances beyond this year,” she added.
