State investigators found that a power outage that forced the evacuation of hundreds of patients from Boyle Heights Hospital last summer was the result of lapses in the facility's maintenance, a “deficient practice” that could put patients at risk of not getting needed care.
In August, Adventist Health White Memorial lost power hours after Southern California was hit by a storm named Hillary. Children and critical care patients were among those who had to be transferred after power went out to part of the hospital, including the building that houses neonatal intensive care. Some patients were transferred to other locations on the hospital campus, while others were transferred to other hospitals.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said firefighters had to take patients down stairs when elevators were not working and helped some breathe using mask ventilators that rely on pressure on inflatable bags. An Adventist Health spokesman said a baby was born during the power outage, with the help of electric lights lit by staff.
Hospital officials told reporters that they had emergency generators, but the generator's power failed hours after the normal power outage.
Investigators from the California Department of Public Health found that hospital employees charged with maintaining the Boyle Heights facility failed to keep humidity levels under control in an interior tunnel, causing electrical equipment connecting an emergency generator to the hospital to malfunction.
Investigators found in their report that this led to a complete power outage in two buildings housing patients – the East Tower and the Specialized Care Tower – “which may put patients at risk of not receiving necessary care and treatments.”
Hospital employees told investigators that days before the power outage, they discovered a leaking steam pipe in a tunnel between the central plant — which transports cold water and steam to the heating and cooling systems — and the facility, according to the state report.
A hospital official told state investigators that facility employees tried to cover electrical equipment with plastic to protect it from high humidity. The state report noted that hospital staff had planned to shut down and repair the steam system on August 23, but the storm hit and the power was cut off on August 21.
“Patient safety is our top priority,” Adventist Health White Memorial said in a written statement.
“Since the power outage, we have worked with the city and regulatory agencies to ensure that our operations were robust and to ensure that our equipment was in good working order,” the hospital said. “Our hospital has available generating capacity that exceeds regulatory requirements, providing an additional layer of safety for all who rely on us.”
The hospital added that it immediately began repairing the damaged devices.
Adventist Health White Memorial said the electrical equipment that failed was “designed to withstand extreme conditions.” But after the outage, the hospital installed a humidity monitor, which was not a regulatory requirement but “a suggestion after this incident,” the hospital said, adding that its technicians monitor it daily.
Boyle Heights Hospital was not fined for the state's findings. In November, state investigators returned to follow up and found that the problems mentioned in their previous report had been addressed.
The hospital said in its statement: “Fortunately, thanks to the heroic efforts of our caregivers, we were able to keep all of our patients and staff safe and successfully recover” from the power outage.
