ResilienceSenior federal officials join initiative to help secure power supply to healthcare facilities during disasters

Powered for Patients, a not-for-profit public private partnership established after Hurricane Sandy to help safeguard backup power and expedite power restoration for critical healthcare facilities, has added two former senior federal officials to serve as advisors.

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. The organization says that 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 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 ASPR’s cooperative agreement with ASTHO. Powered for Patients continues to work with ASTHO on multiple fronts.