Powered for Patients, the not-for-profit public private partnership established after Hurricane Sandy to help safeguard backup power and expedite power restoration for critical healthcare facilities, received a powerful boost with the addition of two former senior federal officials to serve as advisors. (www.poweredforpatients.org) 

Paul N. Stockton, Ph.D., former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs, will serve as Powered for Patients’ National Advisor for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Resilience. In this role, Stockton will help lead Powered for Patients activities in the area of infrastructure vulnerability assessment and development of action plans to strengthen critical infrastructure. Dr. Stockton will also support Powered for Patients as the organization expands its focus to address vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure sectors upon which healthcare facilities are heavily dependent, such as water systems and wastewater treatment plants. In addition to his role with Powered for Patients, Dr. Stockton is the Managing Director of Sonecon LLC, a firm that provides economic advisory, security and risk-management services to international and national clients.

Kevin Yeskey, MD, FACEP, former Director of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will serve as the organization’s National Advisor for Public Health Preparedness. In this capacity, Dr. Yeskey will help lead engagement with federal, state and local public health officials. He will also help lead development and implementation of the organization’s public health preparedness strategies including those designed to address the needs of at-risk citizens who rely on electric-powered medical equipment during prolonged power outages. 

“Enlisting the support of Dr. Stockton and Dr. Yeskey as national advisors is a major achievement for Powered for Patients and will go a long way towards helping the initiative achieve its key goals,” said Gerrit Bakker, Senior Director of Public Health Preparedness for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). “Having worked closely with Powered for Patients from its earliest days, we’re very excited to see these national leaders take an active role in the organization.”

Initial funding for Powered for Patients was provided in 2014 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) through their cooperative agreement with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Powered for Patients continues to work with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials on multiple fronts. 

In his role as the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs, Stockton created the Department’s first-ever Mission Assurance Strategy to help guide and prioritize Department of Defense (DOD) resilience initiatives. He led the Defense Department’s continuity of operations policies, planning and exercises, and launched initiatives with the private sector, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security to help ensure the availability of energy to DOD installations. 

Dr. Stockton was twice awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, DOD's highest civilian award. The Department of Homeland Security awarded Dr. Stockton its Distinguished Public Service Medal. Dr. Stockton holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. 

In addition to his role with Powered for Patients, Dr. Yeskey leads the Emergency Public Health portfolio at MDB, Inc., a service-disabled veteran-owned small business that focuses on environmental health, environmental justice, worker health and safety, and public health issues of national importance.  Dr. Yeskey was the MDB lead for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) sponsored Gulf Responder Resiliency Training program. He assisted with the curriculum development and stakeholder outreach meetings. 

Dr. Yeskey is the former Director of the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Operations and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that capacity he oversaw the National Disaster Medical System, the Hospital Preparedness Program, and response operations.  Dr. Yeskey also worked at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the Director of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Program and in the National Center for Environmental Health. He received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and his A.B. from Brown University.

 “Many of the issues Powered for Patients is addressing are issues I confronted when serving at HHS,” said Dr. Yeskey. “I’m impressed by the progress Powered for Patients has made in safeguarding backup power and expediting power restoration for critical healthcare facilities. I’m also pleased to see the organization address the needs of at-risk citizens dependent on electric-powered medical equipment during prolonged power outages. I look forward to lending my expertise in these areas to accelerate the work of the organization and enhance our impact in addressing serious public health challenges.” 

Having led the Department of Defense’s response to Hurricane Sandy, Dr. Stockton is acutely aware of the challenges of supporting backup power systems for hospitals and other critical healthcare facilities. 

“Whether it was securing replacement fuel for generators, or sourcing rare parts to help service technicians get access to impacted facilities, there was no shortage of challenges and I’m excited to be working with Powered for Patients to help address these and other critical issues,” said Stockton. 

Since its initial Stakeholders Meeting in Washington, D.C. last year, Powered for Patients has advanced a number of initiatives to safeguard backup power and expedite power restoration for critical healthcare facilities. The organization is also working to address the needs of at-risk citizens who rely on electric-powered medical equipment during prolonged power outages. 

Upcoming activities include a Round Table Forum to address resiliency initiatives that hospitals and other healthcare facilities can undertake to improve their readiness for disasters and better safeguard backup power. The Round Table Forum will also explore current codes, standards, and government regulations that impact preparedness activities for healthcare facilities.

Powered for Patients will continue research into current practices around prioritized power restoration for critical healthcare facilities and assess opportunities to enhance this process. 

In addition, Powered for Patients will launch State Stakeholder Engagement Initiatives to help states bring together the key stakeholders needed to enhance backup power and power restoration prioritization for critical healthcare facilities. These state initiatives will also assess opportunities to develop or strengthen programs to support at-risk citizens dependent on electric-powered medical equipment during prolonged power outages. The organization will also continue advancing a national dialogue about backup power reliability and expedited power restoration. 

“Backup power reliability and expedited power restoration for critical healthcare facilities remain key concerns for state emergency management leaders,” said Trina Sheets, Executive Director of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA). “With Dr. Stockton and Dr. Yeskey on board, I’m confident that their expertise and national reputations for creative problem solving will accelerate the work of Powered for Patients.”