HIDA Asks Administration To Fast-Pass Medical Supply Shipments
The Health Industry Distributors Association supports a Critical Cargo Program expediting medical products during public health emergencies
Alexandria, VA – November 4, 2021 - In comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation, HIDA thanked the Administration for its recent work to expand ports’ business hours and called for further action to avoid delays in delivering medical supplies to healthcare providers.
Unprecedented transportation delays have hindered reliable and timely movement of medical products, wrote HIDA VP of Supply Chain Policy & Executive Branch Relations Linda Rouse O’Neill in an October 29 letter. “This restricts the supply chain’s ability to support healthcare providers responding to COVID-19 and providing essential medical services.”
The next steps are to align not just ports, but all modes of transportation to 24/7 operations and prioritize critical cargo such as personal protective equipment (PPE) through ports, onto rail and truck for expedited delivery to healthcare providers.
Specifically, HIDA recommends:
- Developing a “fast pass” system to expedite global transportation of essential medical products
- Utilizing “fast pass” with railroads, trucks, and small parcel carriers
- Aligning transportation operations to support healthcare during public health emergencies
Read HIDA’s letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Read HIDA’s full Critical Cargo Program recommendations.
HIDA is the industry trade association representing 111 distribution companies operating 500+ medical distribution centers across the care continuum nationwide. HIDA members deliver medical products and supplies, manage logistics, and offer customer services to virtually every healthcare provider. In 2020, they reliably delivered 51 billion units of PPE “the last mile” to providers. For more information, please visit HIDA.org .