LIPA Urges Customers with Special Medical Needs to Enroll in Critical Care Program

Uniondale, NY - With June marking the official start of the hurricane season, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) wants to remind all customers who rely on electricity to power life-supporting equipment in their homes to register with LIPA’s Critical Care Program.

While the Critical Care Program does not guarantee priority restoration of service, customers enrolled in the program will receive advance notice of scheduled outages and severe weather which could lead to power outages lasting several days. However, in the event that severe weather causes a multi-day power outage, it is important for customers to understand it is their responsibility to have a plan in place that will ensure their medical needs are taken care of and they remain safe. The notifications are intended to enable customers who depend on electricity for emergency medical and life-support equipment to make advanced preparations.

“The Critical Care Program is an integral part of LIPA’s restoration and emergency preparedness plans. We encourage customers who qualify for this program to sign up well in advance of storm season,” said Joanne Schindelheim, director of marketing for LIPA. “While it is inconvenient for any of our customers to lose power, it can be a matter of life and death for those who need electricity for life sustaining medical equipment.”

Customers wishing to enroll in the Critical Care Program must provide LIPA with a medical certificate from a doctor or the local Board of Health. Once approved the customer’s account and meter will be tagged as “critical care.”

Devices which meet the medical criteria for life-support equipment include:
•    Apnea Monitor
•    Curraise Respirator
•    Positive Pressure Respirator
•    Suction Machine
•    IV Feeding Machine
•    Tank Type Respirator
•    Respirator/Ventilator
•    Hemodialysis Machine
•    Rocking Bed Respirator
•    Oxygen Concentrator
•    IV Medical Infusion Machine

For more information about LIPA’s Critical Care Program call 1-800-490-0025 or visit http://www.lipower.org/criticalcare