Keeping the Lights On: How Advocacy Protected a Family’s Health
When a parent walked into our office holding a “Notice to Turn Off Service” letter from Con Edison, the situation was urgent. A shutoff team had already come to the home. Without electricity, critical medical equipment — including a nebulizer, humidifier, and air purifier used to manage asthma — would no longer function.
For this family, electricity isn’t just a utility. It’s a lifeline.
Demonstrating remarkable strength and advocacy, the parent was able to inform the Con Edison team of a medical hardship and committed to providing documentation from a medical provider. That’s when our Asthma Outreach Specialist stepped in to support the next critical steps.
Working alongside the parent, the Outreach Specialist helped coordinate a medical support letter confirming the patient’s need for electrically powered medical equipment. At the same time, another barrier emerged: the Con Edison account was listed under the spouse’s name, who no longer resides in the home — preventing the family from applying for emergency financial assistance.
Our Outreach Specialist immediately partnered with the parent to contact Con Edison and initiate an account name change. Required documentation — including a lease agreement and state identification — was gathered and submitted to begin the process. While the name change is underway, Con Edison has protected the household from service interruption, ensuring the family’s safety during this transition.
Once the updated bill is issued in the parent’s name, the family will be eligible to apply for a Utility One Shot Deal through HRA. The Outreach Specialist has already provided information on local HRA offices and guidance on using ACCESS HRA to streamline the application process.
This is more than assistance with paperwork. It’s proactive advocacy, care coordination, and crisis prevention in action.
Our Community Health Workers continue to follow up to ensure the family remains protected and connected to the resources they need.
Because at BCHN, we understand that health doesn’t begin and end in the exam room — it lives in our homes, our communities, and in the systems that must work together to keep families safe.
