Resilient Power | Power for Health | Issues & Solutions| Direct Relief

Without power, critical health services can’t be provided – lifesaving medicines go bad, electronic health records can’t be accessed, essential medical equipment can’t be powered, and vital community health facilities serving the most vulnerable shut down. This single initiative addresses health equity, the need for renewable energy, and community resiliency.

The Issue

Frequent, devastating climate-related events lead to an increase in power outages.
With healthcare systems’ growing dependence on power for treatment and records, thousands go without care when the power goes out.

The Impact on Health

More than 32 million people rely on free and charitable clinics and community health centers.
More than 14,000 community health centers and free and charitable clinic sites provide primary health care, prescription medications, chronic disease management, and more.

The Challenges

Power is Essential

Modern healthcare relies on continuous power.
Years of record-setting emergencies have resulted in extended power shut-offs, leaving thousands without care.

Impacts of Outages

Lifesaving medicines go bad
Essential medical equipment is inoperable
Electronic health records are inaccessible
Health clinics close their doors

Overwhelmed Hospitals

Hospital systems rely on community health centers and free clinics to serve non-emergency needs.
When clinics and centers lose power, hospitals get overwhelmed, placing communities at risk.

Costs of Unreliable Power

Average of 52 hours without power after a disaster
Outages disrupt medical care, equipment, temperature control
General admission and member discounts for two adults.

The Solution: Resilient Power

Direct Relief’s Power for Health Initiative seeks to bring clean, renewable backup power to community health centers and free clinics to ensure they can deliver critical healthcare services during power outages.

The initiative provides grants to these centers and clinics for the installation of off-grid, renewable, reliable power systems, improving resiliency and continuity of care for critical health services in vulnerable communities.

Consistent power affords continuity of critical care, the protection of expensive and vital medicine, and ensures access to health records. Taken together, resilient power results in better health outcomes for those served.

Benefits to Health Centers

Solar energy and battery storage systems generate and store clean, efficient, renewable power. Health centers that have these systems will automatically tap into their solar energy systems when they experience disruptions in electrical grid power for any reason, allowing them to seamlessly maintain power during an outage.

These systems bring health centers multiple types of benefits:

Resilience: pairing solar with battery storage allows solar energy to be deployed as a backup power source in the event of an outage. Solar energy and battery storage systems allow health centers to prepare for, withstand, and recover quickly from grid disruptions while maintaining a reliable energy supply.

Sustainability: each kilowatt-hour of solar that is generated will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions like CO2, enhancing the health center’s environmental sustainability.

Cost Savings: health centers will pocket savings in the form of lower monthly utility bills because solar energy production partially offets their rates of energy consumption from the grid.

Power for Health Project Dashboard

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Power is Essential

100% of your donation will support the Power for Health Initiative

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partnership spotlight

Direct Relief is seeking philanthropic partners to join the Power for Health initiative to collectively provide reliable power to more healthcare facilities in the US, leading to improved and more equitable health for individuals and families who are struggling every day.