(12/2/2024)
As winter approaches, healthcare facility leaders must prepare for both plummeting temperatures and seasonal patient surges. Combined with flu season and abnormal weather patterns due to climate change, maintaining your operational continuity is critical — particularly when your community needs you most.
As winter approaches, healthcare facility leaders must prepare for both plummeting temperatures and seasonal patient surges. Combined with flu season and abnormal weather patterns due to climate change, maintaining your operational continuity is critical — particularly when your community needs you most.
Drawing From Past Lessons and Emerging Forecasts as You Prepare for Severe Weather
Recent years have demonstrated the growing volatility of winter weather, sometimes causing facilities to lose power and communication. Major cities previously considered “safe” from severe winter weather incidents — Atlanta and Dallas, for example — have faced operational crises due to unprecedented storms.
Notably, the U.S. Northwest and Midwest are projected to see more severe weather incidents this year. Climate change has increased winter precipitation due to elevated water evaporation from warming oceans and land masses, leading to more intense winter events. (More on this from the EPA.)
Just as the CDC advises consumers to create a disaster and communication plan for their own families, so too must healthcare leaders plan for emergency response and management, anticipating every possible scenario. Each team in your organization should know their role during a crisis, long before it happens. External partners such as local, regional, state, and federal response organizations, as well as vendors, suppliers, and other healthcare facilities in your area should be factored into your plan. (Learn more about effective emergency preparedness here.)
To stay up to date on weather developments impacting your organization, we recommend frequent monitoring of the National Weather Service (NWS) for changing conditions. It’s also helpful to refresh your knowledge of how to prevent cold-related health problems such as hypothermia and frostbite, which can be deadly and require immediate care.
Proactive Maintenance to Minimize Winter Weather Risks
Hospitals can face a host of challenges during a winter storm including:
- Limited supplies including salt/ice melter
- Loss of air handlers due to damaged coils or dampers
- Frozen pipes and/or water lines impacting water availability and fire sprinkler functionality
- Frozen sewer lines causing backups
- Staff, visitors, and patients experiencing obstructed facility access
These types of issues, such as freezing pipes or water damage, can be avoided through proactive planning and maintenance, which should also include inspecting heating systems to ensure they are working properly. It is recommended to keeping building temperatures no lower than 55°F to prevent freezing pipes. Additionally, teams should check your roof for needed repairs, as roofs can be damaged during heavy rain, ice storms, or blizzards.
Before snow hits, have a team ready to clear snow and salt all walkways. Failing to clear sidewalks of snow and ice magnifies the risk of fall-related injuries — a leading concern for older population in healthcare facilities.
An Integrated Approach to Minimize Weather Risks
At Medxcel, we leverage our integrated facilities management teams to mitigate risks in areas beyond traditional facilities maintenance and groundskeeping. Our experts in safety, planning, design, and construction, and our national energy team also assist our clients in preparing for weather disasters.
Our safety teams put together plans for each season, working with local entities and coordinating with our national weather vendor to receive timely weather forecasts. When significant construction is in progress at a facility, our planning, design, and construction team works to ensure construction areas are not compromised, preventing possible weather-related issues and delays. The national energy team assists in monitoring the financial impacts of storms on energy utilization and costs, partnering with our facilities team to limit use or switch to an alternate energy source when shortages and/or skyrocketing costs are anticipated.
Preparing for winter weather can be a lot to manage, but incredibly important considering what’s at risk, starting with your ability to stay open and operational as your community needs it most.