We are now going on two years of dealing with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

That’s two years of fear, uncertainty, testing, masking, and all of the other issues that have come along with the virus.

One problem that has been particularly troubling throughout the COVID-19 era is that of health care supplies. Many hospitals and health care systems have struggled throughout the pandemic when attempting to keep their staff safe due to decreased supply of key medical equipment.

Luckily, companies such as Vizient have access to the Novaplus enhanced supply program, which can assist health care organizations in navigating a time of decreased supply and uncertainty.

The Initial Days of the Pandemic

In the first few days and weeks after COVID-19 started making news headlines, the world was thrown into chaos. There were conflicting reports from around the world and no one knew, for sure, what was happening with regard to the virus.

But one thing was certain: people were getting very sick and were seeking medical care.

The brave doctors and nurses within health care facilities had to attempt to treat these patients with little knowledge of the disease course. Furthermore, they had to do so with often inadequate personal protective equipment. 

The Problem of Supply

In short: our supply chains are unbelievably complicated. Few people, outside of those in the logistics industry, truly understand just how convoluted global supply chains can be. 

For one thing, most companies truly have no idea how many contractors and subcontractors are involved within their supply chains. Additionally, materials can travel from multiple different suppliers and manufacturers on different continents before they reach their final destination. 

Because of the complex nature of suppliers and supply chains, noted above, things can (and do) often go very wrong with shipments. In normal times, this isn’t much of an issue. Most companies will stockpile some materials in case an order gets delayed and they know that the new shipment will come in eventually.

But in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply issues led to dangerous disease exposure and desperate measures in order to keep hospital staff safe. Many nurses and doctors during the early days of the pandemic had to reuse masks, gloves, and other materials because they simply didn’t have enough to spare. 

This was disastrous, and likely led to increased numbers of infections and other issues.

The Novaplus Enhanced Supply Program

Vizient is on a mission to ensure that all medical workers have the materials they need to do their jobs properly. The fact that a hospital system would ever have to deal with a lack of PPE for their staff is unacceptable.

For this reason, Vizient works with the Novaplus enhanced supply program to ensure that all health care workers within a hospital system will never lack the materials they need to safely and successfully treat patients. 

If you are looking for ways to improve your hospital system, and your health care supply levels, start with Vizient! They would be happy to help you today.