Backup power needed

Boynton wants nursing homes to have generators

One by one, cities are pushing to prevent heat-related tragedies after a nursing home in Hollywood overheated last month, leading to 14 deaths.

A new assisted-living facility will be allowed to open at 3005 S. Congress Ave. in Boynton Beach, as long as it commits to having enough generators to power the whole building during an outage, city commissioners decided this past week.

The 4.4-acre Courtyard Gardens will be a one-story inpatient medical facility with 150 beds, specializing in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. While city gave that plan initial approval, it also is exploring the requirement to make sure other elderly care facilities are equipped to keep residents cool during outages.

Earlier this month, Boca Raton considered a similar proposal requiring nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to have enough generators and fuel to keep the lights on for four days during a loss of electricity.

The plans come after Hurricane Irma swept through Florida last month, causing the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills to lose power and air conditioning. Fourteen died.

Boynton Beach Commissioner Mack McCray said it’s necessary for his city to boost safety. “We need to be looking at other facilities here in the city

and check on those that don’t have generators,” he said.

At least 21 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are licensed and within city limits, according to a state database, but the city does not track how many have generators. If the city adopts a new policy, it could ensure that as many as 1,655 elderly residents would have electricity and air conditioning during a disaster.

“We need to be cognizant,” McCray said. “That’s my concern.”

The push to require facilities to have generators or other backup power has grown in momentum beyond cities. It has prompted lawmakers at both the state and federal level to push for policy changes such as generator requirements.

Legislators on Thursday held a congressional field hearing at Miami-Dade College, seeking feedback to help craft legislation that would protect the most vulnerable citizens.

Officials planning Boynton’s new assisted-living facility said Tuesday they would commit to the generator requirement.

Dr. George C. Peck, a medical doctor who works at the Courtyard Gardens in Jupiter, said the building would require something between a 250- or 300-kilowatt generator to power everything, including air conditioning, lights and kitchen appliances.

The building would be located where a similar facility once stood but was torn down years ago as a result of hurricane damage.