AUSTIN, Texas (July 9, 2024) – People in and around Houston affected by Hurricane Beryl who need electricity for medical needs, such as dialysis or oxygen, are advised to go to cooling centers in the area before seeking hospital emergency rooms. Patients or their loved ones needing to find an electricity source for dialysis, oxygen, or other medical needs can find a list of local cooling centers from the Houston Chronicle.

Texas hospitals encourage the public to consider these tips amid Hurricane Beryl’s aftermath. While there have been sporadic reports of power, wind, and water issues impacting some area hospitals, there have been no reports of significant damage and no reports of compromised patient care. Hospitals brought their emergency planning and response command centers online before the storm and have monitored the storm’s movement. Area hospitals made decisions in advance about how to shuffle patient placement if needed and followed procedures to ensure the storm didn’t interrupt medical services.

Founded in 1930, the Texas Hospital Association is the leadership organization and principal advocate for the state’s hospitals and health care systems. Based in Austin, THA enhances its members’ abilities to improve accessibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness of health care for all Texans. One of the largest hospital associations in the country, THA represents more than 85% of the state’s acute-care hospitals and health care systems, which employ some 400,000 health care professionals statewide. Learn more about THA at www.tha.org or follow THA on Twitter at https://twitter.com/texashospitals.