Guest post: Securing the health care supply chain during COVID-19

Conversations and healthy debate about issues facing our industry and the healthcare system are critical to addressing some of today’s challenges and opportunities. The Catalyst welcomes guest contributors, including patients, stakeholders, innovators and others, to share their perspectives and point of view.

Today, we are pleased to welcome a guest post from Nicolette Louissaint, Ph.D., executive director of Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit organization serving as a central coordination point between the health care supply chain and  government agencies to support those working on the front lines during this global health pandemic.

As the outbreak of COVID-19 evolves in the United States and around the globe, both the private and public sectors are uniting to find solutions. With America’s biopharmaceutical companies working tirelessly to develop ways to diagnose, prevent and treat those with the novel coronavirus, PhRMA has joined forces with Healthcare Ready to ensure the financial support and in-kind donations of personal protective equipment, medicines and critical medical supplies are provided to areas in need.

Healthcare Ready was established by trade associations representing the biopharmaceutical supply chain and the American Red Cross in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to serve as a central coordination point between the health care supply chain and government agencies. The organization works to build and enhance the resiliency of communities before, during and after disasters.

This time is no different — Healthcare Ready is closely monitoring the following four efforts around the COVID-19 global health pandemic and leveraging relationships to address current needs by:

• Supply Chain Integrity: Proactively engaging with various elements of the supply chain to facilitate access to needed pharmaceuticals, personal protective equipment and other critical medical supplies.
• Partnerships with U.S. Health System Partners: Coordinating with federal partners at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to understand health care and public health impacts and needs while monitoring the response and concerns of the U.S. health system to mitigate the outbreak domestically.
• Global Response Efforts: Monitoring global response efforts to contain the outbreak, including tracking the impacts of travel advisories, quarantines, and other actions that have implications for the U.S. quarantine and to inform recommendations to government partners to reduce the potential for disruptions in the supply chain.
• Monetary and In-Kind Support: Maintaining a close pulse on humanitarian assistance efforts, including monetary and in-kind support, to prioritize and coordinate donations and supplies to hardest hit areas in need.

How can Healthcare Ready help?

We are working to create a streamlined donation process for in-kind and monetary support while continuing to prioritize requests for these critical needs.

Examples of requests Healthcare Ready is supporting include:

• Personal protective equipment
• Medical supplies
• Assistance in helping a constituent fill their prescription

These requests can be made by contacting [email protected].

Healthcare Ready is working across the healthcare sector to leverage our unique relationships with government, nonprofit and medical supply chains to build and enhance the resiliency of communities before, during and after disasters. Working together will ensure we are stronger as a nation at the end of this global health emergency and are better prepared for the future.