Like everyone else, the men and women of Hubbell Wiring Device-Kellems and Hubbell Premise Wiring have stood in amazement and appreciation at the skills and sacrifice of the men and women of the healthcare community. And while that has been true for all of the decades we have served and supported the lifesaving work of these dedicated professionals, it perhaps has never been more true than during the events that began in March and April of this year.
At that time, as communities on both coasts of our nation rushed to build ad hoc healthcare facilities both indoors and out, in repurposed dormitories, convention centers and warehouses, as well as establish medical tent cities in parking lots and athletic fields, we at Hubbell worked tirelessly to do our small part to support them. Indeed, we pulled together and found new ways to deliver vital temporary power, lighting and communications enabling supplies with turnaround times sometimes measured in mere hours from order to delivery.
Standing ready to help again
Fortunately, as bad as things got, the worst case scenarios that were wisely planned for thankfully did not seem to come to pass in the Spring/early Summer 2020 time frame. Now, in late Summer/early Fall 2020, we are unfortunately seeing a spike and resurgence of COVID infections and hospitalizations, and we are seeing hospital capacity being stretched in many states that had not as yet been severely impacted in the Spring. Those states are now in a similar situation that places like New York and Portland were in earlier in the year, scrambling to build health care capacity to proactively meet any emerging scenario head on. In addition, in some east and west coast cities, prior plans are being revisited as the threat of a resurgence and increasing cases seems more and more possible.
These situations, we believe, will be managed a little differently than they were the first time around. First of all, experts know more about the spread of the disease, and, while time is always of the essence, “overnight” rush set-ups might be deemed less necessary, as municipalities roll out plans in a more measured fashion. On the other hand, organizers know that the difference in setting up ad hoc facilities to operate in the Winter vs. the Summer months is, literally night and day. Night will be beginning at 4:00 pm, as opposed to 9:00 pm, and daylight periods are shorter, greatly increasing the need for lighting in temporary facilities. Demand for heat will be much greater too. All of that makes the establishment of fast, safe and reliable electrical power even more vital.
Ancillary safety items will also be more of an issue. Field hospitals often see cables running all around—trip hazards, especially if surrounding ice and snow, or the limited visibility of early darkness exacerbate the situation. Wire and cable protection systems, for example, let people—as well as heavy truck tires—pass over vital electrical wiring with less chance of detrimental impact of any kind.
Further, the evolution of our fight against COVID has also changed some of our nation’s facilities-related strategies. For example, the concept of extensive testing facilities did not really exist back in the Spring. Now, they are our valuable first line of defense, and we are seeing the need for ad hoc testing offices being built out of reclaimed spaces in an analogous way to the way larger healthcare spaces were and are being reimagined—with the same need for fast, reliable temporary power, lighting and reliable data and voice communications.
Products ready to ship—just tell us where and when
At Hubbell, our job is to provide a wide variety of devices that can help effectively establish infrastructure in any environment, indoor or outdoor, with quickly deployable temporary power equipment, temporary lighting equipment, receptacles, plugs, connectors, industrial enclosures, watertight wiring devices, dual power/USB charging devices, robust multi-unit USB charging stations, hospital grade outdoor cable, wireless infrastructure equipment, surge protection plug strips, portable GFCIs and much more. Simple or sophisticated—anywhere you need the ability to set up power quickly where there was no power before without having to worry about permanent infrastructure and cost, from plug strips to full on generators—Hubbell has every mix of supplies you need for any mix of spaces you are developing.
But perhaps even more than that, our job is to help our healthcare partners do their jobs more productively, so that they can focus fully on patients, without having to worry about downtime, disruptions or disconnections. And we take that job very seriously.
If you think that Hubbell products, experience and expertise can help you, call us any time. Or, if you prefer, take a look at Hubbell’s Emergency Preparedness Products for Healthcare Guides to get an at-a-glance view of products available. Conveniently, there is one for power devices and one for communications products. It is our hope that they provide you with some useful and timely information.
