ORLANDO, Fla. — As Hurricane Dorian surges toward Florida’s east coast with the potential for destructive winds and high surf, hundreds of the state’s elder care facilities still don’t meet all of the requirements for emergency power plans under state law. Instead, many sites are still asking for more time to get their backup power and fuel in order, state data shows.

Mary Mayhew, secretary of the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, said facilities that fail to comply “will continue to be held accountable” and face sanctions. Between August 2018 and August 2019, almost 300 facilities have been fined for failing to follow the regulations, including part of a law signed last year by then-Gov. Rick Scott.

The state’s more than 3,700 nursing homes and assisted living facilities are now required to have the capability to keep indoor temperatures from going above 81 degrees for at least 96 hours after a power outage. Doing so requires them to purchase generators.

The industry remains under heightened scrutiny two years after Hurricane Irma struck Florida and led to the deaths of a dozen residents at a nursing home north of Miami. The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills lost air conditioning and overheated in the days after the storm, and the calamity spurred legislation to tighten safety regulations, and this week led to manslaughter charges for four employees in a criminal investigation.

Ahead of Dorian, Mayhew said, the agency would conduct site visits and make calls to facilities in “the potential impact area.” As of Friday afternoon, the hurricane was on track to become an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm over the next few days, and a wide swath from Miami to Jacksonville remained on high alert, with residents scrambling to fill up their cars’ gas tanks and buy necessary supplies.

Source: Read Full Article