OneQuest Health Returns to Full Operations After Major Power Outage; Emergency Plans Kept Kids Safe

Derecho left main campus without power for four days and internet for six — no critical incidents reported across any location

COVINGTON, Ky. — August 17, 2026 —The derecho that tore through Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, knocked out power across the region — and put OneQuest Health's emergency planning to its toughest real-world test in years. Six days later, every client, family, and associate came through safely.

OneQuest Health's main campus in Devou Park lost power the afternoon of August 11 and did not have it restored until August 14. Internet connectivity remained down even longer, not returning until August 17. Without generator capacity, the main campus could not safely continue operations and remained closed for the full week. 

The organization's Burlington campus also lost power in the storm, but its on-site generators kept life-safety systems, HVAC, and support for its round-the-clock treatment team running throughout. That capacity became critical: psychiatric residential clients from the main campus, along with treatment team members from all three shifts, were relocated to Burlington for the duration of the closure, allowing continuity of care to continue uninterrupted. 

The storm's reach extended well beyond residential care. OneQuest Health's Outpatient division felt the disruption too — Day Treatment and Partial Hospitalization programming shifted to other locations for clients affected by the closure, and new employee orientation was relocated to OneQuest Health's Covington outpatient center at 5th and Philadelphia Streets, where the organization offers individual therapy, medication management, and a full range of outpatient services. 

As the only licensed Level I psychiatric residential treatment facility in Kentucky's Northern Bluegrass Region, a multi-day power outage at OneQuest Health's main campus carries risk-management stakes far beyond inconvenience. Badge-entry security systems protecting the administration building and youth residential buildings depend on battery backup during outages, and the length of last week's outage required staff to activate emergency evacuation procedures to keep clients safe throughout the closure. 

The main campus is also home to Covington Independent Public Schools' alternative education programs for students requiring specialized interventions, prompting the district to stand up contingency plans that redirected affected staff to other district sites for the week. And on a more practical note, the commercial kitchen at the main campus — which prepares meals not only for OneQuest Health locations across Northern Kentucky but also for other area nonprofit meal programs — was unable to operate from August 11 through August 17. 

"I was especially proud of how every department of this organization, from business operations to philanthropy, knew exactly what role they needed to play," said Crystal Leugers, Chief Programming Officer, who oversees treatment services across all five OneQuest Health locations in Northern Kentucky and Louisville. "Our teams relied on emergency planning processes we've built and rehearsed for exactly this kind of moment, and they executed them efficiently and without hesitation. I want to be clear: there were no critical incidents at any location throughout the closures or the relocation. That outcome was not luck — it was preparation." 

CEO and Chief Philanthropy Officer Rick Wurth pointed to the community response that made the week manageable. "State Representative Stephanie Dietz was personally engaged with us throughout the closure, and she helped connect our leadership with the right people at the right moments," Wurth said. "Duke Energy, Altafiber, and the City of Covington were all tremendous partners. When fallen trees and branches blocked access to our main campus via Home Road in Devou Park, the City of Covington had crews on site within a very short window. Covington Mayor Ron Washington and his team were there for us."

 Wurth also credited the organization's donors for investments that proved their worth in the moment. "Our donors have provided things like enhanced security features and our Digital First Strategies work, and both played a real role in how we navigated this," he said. "I want to specifically thank Carol and Bob Griffin, whose gift of our entire vehicle fleet in years past already serves us daily across our outpatient and residential treatment programs. During last week's closure, that same fleet became the means by which we moved staff and psychiatric residential clients safely between campuses. Our donors have our backs every single day, and we never saw that more clearly than we did during the very dark storms of last week."

 Looking ahead, OneQuest Health's Board of Trustees Real Estate and Facilities Committee will explore the installation of emergency generators at the main campus as part of its next meeting, with the goal of closing the gap that forced the week-long closure and ensuring the campus can remain operational during future extended outages.