New Senate Legislation Would Enhance Pandemic Preparedness, Strengthen Medical Supply Chain

Alexandria, VA, May 19, 2021 - A new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate today would strengthen America’s medical supply chain and improve the nation’s ability to respond to future pandemics. The Medical Supplies for Pandemics Act was introduced by Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC).

“This legislation would allow the private and public sectors to work together on building and maintaining the Strategic National Stockpile,” said HIDA President & CEO Matthew J. Rowan. “This enhanced partnership will ensure that needed medical supplies can get to frontline workers in a safe, efficient, and reliable manner during health emergencies.”

The Medical Supplies for Pandemics Act strengthens the partnership between the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) and commercial distributors and establishes a national reserve of key medical products. Specifically, the legislation would allow for:

• Enhanced Public/Private Partnerships: The SNS would partner with commercial distributors to manage inventory and prevent expiration of critical pandemic supplies such as PPE, test kits, and infection prevention products.
• Diversified Production: The SNS would work with manufacturers to geographically diversify production sources of medical supplies.
• Increased Investments in Surge Manufacturing Capacity: The SNS would work with manufacturers on innovative approaches to ensure there can be enhanced production of supplies during emergencies.

HIDA resources on issues related to the pandemic, the healthcare supply chain, and the role of distributors can be found here.

About HIDA
The Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) represents the country’s medical product distributors – the nation’s essential link between manufacturers and patient caregivers. HIDA members offer critical services increasing the efficiency of U.S. healthcare providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories, home care, and physician practices. For more information, visit HIDA.org.