HCPF emergency-preparedness projects delivered over 1,700 backup batteries and about 1,000 Go Kits statewide
February 20, 2024 | Health Care Policy & Financing, Governor's Cabinet, Organizations, Executive, Colorado
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The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing described two ARPA-funded emergency-preparedness projects that provided trainings, a public power-calculation tool and direct distributions of battery backups and tailored Go Kits for people with disabilities.
Max Winkler, project lead in the department’s Office of Community Living, said the department partnered with the Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE) to develop emergency-response materials and trainings for providers and families and to host those resources on CIDE’s website. "We did over 80 course opportunities throughout the state," he said, describing live and online offerings tied to national emergency-preparedness guidance.
For the member-facing project, CIDE performed lab testing and helped create an interactive power calculator that lets users enter device power draws and usage hours to estimate the energy required and match a suitable battery-backup device. Max said the department purchased and distributed over 1,700 battery-backup units (EcoFlow Delta Pro and Delta Max 2 models) to qualifying Health First Colorado members across 55 counties. He noted the units retail at roughly $3,000 each and that recipients often said the devices gave them "peace of mind" by avoiding forced stays in hospitals during outages.
Max also described distribution of roughly 1,000 tailored emergency Go Kits containing disability-specific items such as dry-erase communication boards, earplugs, first-aid supplies and medical flash drives to preserve medical records. Many kits went to the same applicants who received backup batteries, though some kits reached a broader set of individuals who did not qualify for battery devices.
Why it matters: department presenters said battery backups and Go Kits can be life-saving for people who rely on durable medical equipment, and that creating a power-calculation tool provides a replicable resource for emergency planners and clinicians.
Next steps: the department said CIDE continues to host the training materials and the full project report is available on the CIDE website; the department has also added backup devices as an option under certain home-modification waiver benefits.
Max Winkler, project lead in the department’s Office of Community Living, said the department partnered with the Center for Inclusive Design and Engineering (CIDE) to develop emergency-response materials and trainings for providers and families and to host those resources on CIDE’s website. "We did over 80 course opportunities throughout the state," he said, describing live and online offerings tied to national emergency-preparedness guidance.
For the member-facing project, CIDE performed lab testing and helped create an interactive power calculator that lets users enter device power draws and usage hours to estimate the energy required and match a suitable battery-backup device. Max said the department purchased and distributed over 1,700 battery-backup units (EcoFlow Delta Pro and Delta Max 2 models) to qualifying Health First Colorado members across 55 counties. He noted the units retail at roughly $3,000 each and that recipients often said the devices gave them "peace of mind" by avoiding forced stays in hospitals during outages.
Max also described distribution of roughly 1,000 tailored emergency Go Kits containing disability-specific items such as dry-erase communication boards, earplugs, first-aid supplies and medical flash drives to preserve medical records. Many kits went to the same applicants who received backup batteries, though some kits reached a broader set of individuals who did not qualify for battery devices.
Why it matters: department presenters said battery backups and Go Kits can be life-saving for people who rely on durable medical equipment, and that creating a power-calculation tool provides a replicable resource for emergency planners and clinicians.
Next steps: the department said CIDE continues to host the training materials and the full project report is available on the CIDE website; the department has also added backup devices as an option under certain home-modification waiver benefits.
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