Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow experienced a power outage on Saturday, July 20, around 4:40 p.m.
Megan Ryan, interim CEO, president, and chief legal officer of NUMC, said a PSEG Long Island equipment malfunction caused the outage.
The power was restored around 6 p.m. that night.
NUMC was aware of the power outage when their backup equipment went on.
Ryan said certain protocols are in place to keep the hospital running properly during emergencies, such as electrical emergencies.
The emergency protocols allowed the staff to respond swiftly and ensure no impact on patient care during the brief power outage.
Emergency notifications were sent to the East Meadow Fire Department, the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management and local hospitals to inform them of the situation.
The backup equipment powered necessary equipment and machines, the ICU, the emergency room and the OR. Some lights and phone line power is diverted to keep essential supplies working at 100 percent. All emergency phone lines were operating routinely.
Due to the preparedness of NUMC, no patients had to be transferred, but the hospital diverted ambulances to other local hospitals.
Local hospitals, such as NYU Langone, were aware of the situation and contacted NUMC to offer their assistance.
Patients and visitors at NUMC were kept calm and informed during the power outage.
“Communication is key when dealing with a situation that’s out of the norm,” said Ryan. “I spoke with patients and visitors, and everybody was calm. I attribute that to our staff.”
While the power outage was being handled, patients and visitors were told to stay where they were until the situation was handled so everything could be fixed as efficiently as possible.
“The East Meadow Fire Department and Nassau County Office of Emergency Management were wonderful with their response,” said Ryan. “And the vice president of facilities, who has been here for over 25 years, Patrick Degree, was integral in ensuring we got the power back to normal.”
To accommodate the hour when visitors and patients had to stay put, NUMC extended their visiting hours so patients could see their family and friends.
According to a statement on the outage from NUMC, “The safety and well-being of NUMC’s patients is our utmost priority, and we will continue to uphold these standards in all circumstances.”
