May 26, 2021 – Henry Schein, Inc. (Melville, NY) announced that the company 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.
Henry Schein says the 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.
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,” said 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. healthcare 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.”