In the Event of an Emergency

Edition: March 2008 - Vol 16 Number 03
Article#: 2891
Author: M. Sandler

In recent years virtually, all U.S. territories and states instituted pandemic preparedness plans that will (or already are) impacting the hospitals, nursing homes, and healthcare sites served by medical products distributors.

As these facilities now work to develop and fine tune their plans, they may look to you to gain advice and ensure that you have your own procedures in place. After all, “the distribution community will play a vital role in ensuring the continuity of supplies to healthcare providers,” says Dr. Jeffrey W. Runge, assistant secretary for health affairs with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Are you ready

The first alarms regarding pandemic preparedness were sounded more than a year ago in everything from news reports to made-for-TV movies. Today, the current H5N1 “bird flu” virus strain continues to give global scientists and the World Health Organization concern that it could mutate into a human pandemic.

To date, more than 200 people have died from bird flu and the currently-circulating H5N1 strain has a mortality rate that exceeds 50 percent. Because bird flu viruses do not typically affect humans, there is little to no immune protection against them, say world health leaders. Pandemic vaccines are in development; however their efficacy and the timing of production are still being explored. Furthermore, no one can predict when, where, or even if a pandemic will occur.

For healthcare providers, distributors, and manufacturers, these elements pose a unique challenge that must nevertheless be met.

Some distributors, such as Owens & Minor, already have pandemic protocols in place to enable limited-exposure deliveries, determine personal protective equipment (PPE) policies, and make sure that pandemic planning discussions with customers take place.

Other distributors are working to proactively equip healthcare providers with information on pandemic-related products and ordering information.

Industry efforts also are underway.

“Because preparedness requires ongoing planning, the Health Industry Distributors Association is presenting its 2007-2008 Pandemic Operations Guide to help our members and others in the medical products community,” says Matt Rowan, HIDA president and CEO. The new report was released this month and is available on HIDA’s Web site at www.HIDA.org.

Six steps you can take now

Helping customers make smart decisions in their daily business operations is a core competency for distributors. Guiding customers through the maze of emergency preparedness requires the same diligence, whether you are an executive dealing with company strategy, a sales rep advising your clients, or a warehouse manager who keeps inventory flowing.

Before you can help your clients, however, you must examine what you are doing internally to prepare.

“No matter how generous people in the supply chain are going to be, we all need to be somewhat self-sufficient and plan,” says George Goldman, senior director of BD’s hypodermic division.

Below are six steps that distributors, manufacturers and others can take in regard to staffing, warehousing, and transportation.



1. Identify and/or prepare staff and ancillary workers

2. Cross-train employees

3. Set up priority pick lines where applicable

4. Explore alternate storage locations

5. Identify fuel reserves

6. Reach out to other industries to supplement transportation

Detailed tips, a pandemic product list, and Q&As with supply chain partners and government agencies are provided in HIDA’s Pandemic Operations Guide: Planning considerations for the Medical Products Distribution Industry.



Download your state’s pandemic plan at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/states/stateplans.html