Most Nursing Homes Throughout the United States Do Not Have Adequate or Reliable Emergency Power Systems

OBJECTIVE

Recent severe weather events have highlighted the need for and importance of emergency power systems for nursing homes. Nursing homes are required to provide an alternate source of energy (usually a generator) to maintain temperatures to protect residents' health and safety, as well as for food storage, emergency lighting, fire protection, and sewage disposal (if applicable), or to evacuate the residents. Nursing homes with generators must have them installed in a safe location and are required to perform weekly maintenance checks. During our onsite inspections of 154 nursing homes in eight States as part of our recent life safety and emergency preparedness audits, we found numerous facilities that had generators that were more than 30 years old. We will conduct an audit to determine the age of emergency power systems in use by nursing homes and whether those systems are capable of delivering reliable and adequate emergency power, including power to HVAC systems, and whether they have been maintained in accordance with Federal requirements.

TIMELINE

• July 17, 2023
  Announced
• Today
  Office of Audit Services In-Progress
• Est FY2026
  Estimated Fiscal Year for Project Completion

---