[Thread on one hidden medical cost for #pulm families, and how to try and help] /1
Families reported monthly power bills ⬆️ by $400-500 once they got home. This might be after a week, 3 months, or 2 years of living in the hospital. /2
It became clear that I needed to investigate 🕵🏻♂️ how this bill was wracking up, and how to better prepare families for what was ahead when getting ready for 🏠. /3
Turns out none of the individual (very powerful) vents create the bill surge – it’s everything combined. 😬/4
There is also no standard process for how, or when the 💡s will be shut off if bills go unpaid. /6
This could be months 📆, or is could be sooner, and is fraught with bias. /7
They require you be 125%-150% below the poverty line/power already shut off. 📞: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Emergency Low Income Assistance (ELIA), Project SHARE, PSE HELP (Puget Sound Energy Home Energy Lifeline). /8
🔊This must be requested! This special seal put on the meter signals to place a 48hr notice📋 allowing for payment/communication instead of simply cutting the power./9
1. Implement an “electricity discharge checklist” for a subset of care coordination or social work teams to discuss current status of power bill at 🏠, electricity needs, assistance programs, /10
2. Provide all families with a financial assistance program fact sheet 📄 for families utilizing a ventilator to eliminate information outreach bias. 🚫/11
It’s our job as a part of a family’s team to know about this, to provide education, /13
If you work with folks utilizing vents, I ask that you especially consider the above. Numbers don’t lie, and we shouldn’t unknowingly at discharge, either. #medtwitter