In efforts to improve the Strategic National Stockpile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a $53.4 million contract to Henry Schein, Inc. this week for the storage and distribution of 80,000 pallets of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 related products.
This public-private partnership will see Henry Schein serving a critical capacity function, distributing the PPE where most needed.
“This pandemic is a painful reminder that it is vital for health care workers to have the protection they need for their safety and to care for their patients,” Stanley Bergman, chairman of the Board and CEO of Henry Schein, said. “As a solutions provider to the federal government, we strongly support ASPR’s strategy to expand and enhance the SNS and its capabilities to supplement state and local medical supplies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and for future public health emergencies.”
The company works with government agencies at federal, state, and local levels. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has worked with the SNS to deliver products deemed essential for testing sites, as well as to source and hasten the availability of PPE for health care workers across the United States.
A global company, Henry Schein makes use of a centralized and automated distribution network to support business and governmental entities, specifically dental and medical practitioners and labs, government and institutional health care clinics, and alternate care sites.
“Adequate stock of emergency medical supplies at the point of care is essential to combat public health crises,” Brad Connett, president of the U.S. Medical Group at Henry Schein Medical, said. “We recognize that effective inventory management requires extensive logistical and administrative capabilities to maintain, coordinate, and distribute inventory when the entire spectrum of the U.S. health care system is activated. In collaboration with SNS, we are well-positioned to engage our innovative logistics capabilities to deploy essential PPE and COVID-19 related products to health professionals who are vital in our nation’s front-line response.”