Intermountain Medical Center Restores Powerโ After Outage; Examination Underway
Murray, Utah -โ Intermountain Medical Centerโฃ resumed normal โoperations Friday โafter a campus-wide power outage disrupted services โฃon Thursday, August 14,โ 2025. The incidentโข forced temporary diversions of incoming ambulances and the โtransfer of vulnerable patients, including five infants and six mothers in labor.
Timeline ofโ the Outage
The power failureโค began at approximatelyโฃ 11:15 โคa.m. on Thursday. A โsubsequent failure of the hospital’s backup generator prolonged the โขdisruption,withโ full power restoration not โachieved until 1:00 p.m.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| Initial Power Outage | 11:15โค a.m. MDT, August 14, โ2025 |
| Backup Generator Failure | Shortly after 11:15 a.m. MDT |
| Full Powerโค Restoration | 1:00 p.m. MDT, August 14, 2025 |
Cause of the Outage Under Investigation
Murray Fire โChief Joseph Mittelman indicated that the outage likely originated within the hospital’s internal โคpower system, and was not attributable to issues with Murray Cityโค Power, the hospital’s energy provider. “As far as the cityโ is aware, the outage wasn’t caused by an โissue with โMurray Cityโค Power,” stated Chief Mittelman.
Intermountain Health spokesperson Jess Gomez confirmed that a comprehensive review of the hospital’s systems is underway to determine โthe root cause. “Ourโ review of our systems is still underway,” Gomez said.โ “Once we know more information, we’ll share that.”
Did โYouโค Know?
Hospitals are required to have robust backup โpower systems to ensure continuity of care during emergencies, as outlined โby The Joint Commission’s Emergency Management Standards [[1]].
Emergency Response and Patient Safety
During the outage,hospital โขstaff proactively communicated via cellโข phones when internal systems were unavailable,coordinating patient โคcare floor โคby floor. The hospital activated contingency plans to prioritize patientโ safety,diverting ambulances and transferringโ critical patients.
Mittelman emphasized theโฃ city’sโค heightened vigilance. “We have eyes on โคour power grid โrightโ now,” he โขexplained. “so withinโ a moment’s noticeโฆ we โขwould identify and โขthen โrespond accordingly.”
Gomez โฃassured theโ public thatโค Intermountain Medical Center maintains comprehensive contingency plans for all potential scenarios. “We don’t anticipate any further โขissues,” he said, โ”but are prepared forโค any scenario โto โขensure the safety of our patientsโ and caregivers.”
Pro Tip:
Regular testing and maintainance ofโ backupโ power systems areโ crucial for ensuringโ their reliability during emergencies.
Limitedโข Impact Beyond Hospitalโ Campus
The โฃoutage โขappeared to be isolated to the โIntermountainโฃ Medical Center campus, with the Murrayโ City Power Department’s outage map showing no important disruptions elsewhere in the city at the time.
what measures can hospitals take to further enhance their power grid resilience? And how can communitiesโค better support theirโค local healthcareโ facilities โduring emergencies?
Understanding Hospital Power โOutages
Power outages in โhealthcare โfacilitiesโข pose significant risks โคto patient safety and operationalโ efficiency. Modern hospitals rely heavily on electricity for life-sustaining equipment, criticalโ monitoring โคsystems, and essential building โfunctions. โ The increasing frequencyโ of extreme weather โฃevents and the agingโฃ infrastructure of manny power grids are contributing to a growing concernโ about hospital power resilience. Strategic โinvestments in โbackup power systems, grid โmodernization, and emergency preparedness planning are essential to mitigateโฃ theseโฃ risks.
Frequentlyโ Asked Questions โAbout Hospital Power Outages
- What is aโ hospital’s responsibility during a power outage? Hospitals are legallyโข and ethically obligated to maintain patientโข safety during emergencies, including power โoutages, by activating backup systems and implementing contingency plans.
- How do โhospitals ensure backup power systems areโค reliable? Hospitals conduct regular testing, maintenance, and drills to verify the functionality of their backup generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
- Whatโ is the role of local authorities โฃin โฃresponding to hospital power outages? Local โขfire โdepartments and emergencyโฃ management โagencies coordinate with hospitals to provide support,โ assess risks, and ensure โฃa swift โขand effective response.
- What are โthe long-term solutions to prevent hospital power outages? Investing โin grid modernization, distributed generation, and microgrids canโ enhance the resilience of hospital power supplies.
- How does a power outage affect hospital operations? A power โขoutageโข can disrupt critical care services, delay surgeries, and compromise communication systems, requiring hospitals to prioritize patient needs โขand implement emergency protocols.
weโฃ hope this report provides valuable insightโข into the recent power outage at Intermountain Medical Center. โ Stay informed and prepared – your health and safety matter.
