Eight-hour planned emergency back-up power outage on Friday, April 28

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Norfolk General Hospital (NGH) will experience a planned eight-hour outage of the emergency backup power system on Friday, April 28, 2023. The outage is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. and end by approximately 4:00 p.m. 

The planned emergency power shutdown is required to replace the hospital’s main chiller plant, which has reached its end of life. Extensive planning and communication have occurred to ensure the comfort and safety of our current patients and mitigate any risks.  

Out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of patient safety, there will be no scheduled surgical procedures on Friday, April 28. Diagnostic imaging will also not be seeing outpatients during the planned power shutdown. All appointments have been rescheduled. 

All other areas of the hospital, including the emergency department, inpatient units, pharmacy, laboratory services, will remain operational and continue to provide high-quality, safe care to patients. The Norfolk Hospital Nursing Home will not be impacted and will continue to operate as normal.

During the outage, one of the two main patient/visitor elevators will remain operational.

Public washrooms will have temporary lighting installed due to public and patient safety.

During the eight-hour outage our staff will be focused on providing high-quality, safe, care to our current patients. Our Emergency Department will remain open for emergencies.

This project has involved tremendous work and collaboration from others. Communication with partners and stakeholders has been paramount as we have worked through the planning.

NGH apologizes for any inconvenience this temporary power reduction may cause and appreciates your support and understanding during this time.