Melville, N.Y.-based Henry Schein, Inc., was awarded a $53.4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the storage and distribution of 80,000 pallets of personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 related products to support the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within HHS.
This agreement will further the efforts of ASPR to leverage the collective strengths of both the public and private sectors to maximize the breadth of coverage and capabilities, minimize vulnerabilities, and facilitate an expedited response to public health crises and other emergencies.
“We are honored to have been selected to serve HHS in such a critical capacity, and we look forward to supporting the efforts of ASPR, along with state and local agencies, to provide additional resources and infrastructure needed to get health care products where they are needed most,” says Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc.
Bergman adds, “This pandemic is a painful reminder that it is vital for healthcare workers to have the protection they need for their safety and to care for their patients. 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.”
Henry Schein has a long history of serving the U.S. government over many years, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the quick and efficient distribution of medical supplies to those most in need. Henry Schein has supported the HHS COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force since its inception in 2020, which was originally managed by the White House and then the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The company also worked with the SNS to deliver essential products to COVID-19 testing sites and collaborated with the U.S. government to source and accelerate the availability of PPE to safeguard and support frontline healthcare workers.
“Adequate stock of emergency medical supplies at the point of care is essential to combat public health crises,” says Brad Connett, president, U.S. medical group, Henry Schein Medical. “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.”
