Executive Summary
For nearly 20 years, Healthcare Ready has served as a trusted leader in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, bridging the gap between the public and private sectors to strengthen the healthcare supply chain during crises. Established in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our organization has responded to almost 200 disasters across all 50 states and U.S. territories, ensuring that impacted communities—especially the most vulnerable—have uninterrupted access to critical medicines, medical supplies, and healthcare services. As a Department of Homeland Security-designated Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), Healthcare Ready provides reliable information, fosters strategic partnerships, and implements innovative solutions to enhance healthcare resilience.
In 2024, our efforts were more crucial than ever. From managing supply chain disruptions caused by hurricanes, domestic transportation challenges like port strikes, and infrastructure failures such as the collapse of the FSK Bridge, Healthcare Ready played a pivotal role in coordinating resources, delivering lifesaving aid, and advocating for stronger healthcare infrastructure. Our flagship disaster response platform, RxOpen, served over 630,000 users seeking information during disasters in 2024, with more than 200,000 people relying on it for pharmacy and healthcare facility updates in the wake of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Through daily data updates and targeted insights to address supply chain vulnerabilities, we helped support proactive responses to mitigate medication shortages, restore access to essential healthcare services, and empower communities with the tools needed to withstand crises.
Our work extends beyond immediate disaster response. In 2024, we deepened our commitment to long-term resilience by expanding partnerships, launching capacity-building initiatives, and advancing public-private collaboration to ensure sustainable preparedness solutions. By leveraging our extensive network and expertise, Healthcare Ready continues to be a vital force in protecting healthcare infrastructure and public health. As we look ahead, we remain dedicated to building a stronger, more resilient healthcare system—one that is prepared for the challenges of today and the uncertainties of tomorrow.
Response Highlights
Throughout 2024, Healthcare Ready played a critical role in responding to natural disasters, public health crises, and supply chain disruptions, ensuring communities had access to vital healthcare resources when they needed them most.
In response to Hurricane Helene, Healthcare Ready activated resources in record time, providing real-time situation reports (SitReps) to stakeholders and coordinating supply chain solutions to mitigate disruptions. By leveraging RxOpen data, we helped thousands of individuals locate open pharmacies and dialysis centers, ensuring continued access to essential medications.
During Hurricane Milton, Healthcare Ready built upon lessons learned from previous disasters to strengthen response efforts. Partnering with key stakeholders, we facilitated swift recovery efforts and provided crucial updates through RxOpen, enabling emergency responders and healthcare providers to make informed decisions in real time.
Beyond natural disasters, Healthcare Ready responded to pressing public health crises throughout the year. The continuous developments surrounding H5N1, we continue to provide timely updates and resources, fostering collaboration across the healthcare and emergency management sectors. Our work addressing the tripledemic—a convergence of flu, RSV, and COVID-19—ensured communities had access to vaccines, treatments, and educational materials to mitigate the impact of these concurrent threats.
A strong and reliable healthcare supply chain is essential to an effective disaster response. Healthcare Ready tackled IV fluid shortages by engaging stakeholders and media to raise awareness of the issue and advocate for swift solutions. Additionally, we worked closely with pharmaceutical distributors to prevent supply chain disruptions caused by hurricanes and port strikes, ensuring continued access to critical medical supplies for healthcare providers and patients.
CASE STUDY
Keeping the Supply Chain Moving Amid Florida Power Outages
During Hurricane Milton, two major distribution centers in Florida lost power, and a critical medical and pharmaceutical distributor faced sustained downtime. This disruption jeopardized supplies to 3,000 U.S. health systems, putting hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies at risk of running out of essential medications and surgical supplies.
Healthcare Ready quickly mobilized, leveraging our deep connections with government response agencies to escalate the crisis. By advocating for prioritized power restoration and coordinating alternative supply routes, we helped ensure that life-saving medications and critical medical supplies continued reaching the facilities that depended on them.
Our intervention not only helped restore operations at the distribution centers but also reinforced the importance of supply chain resilience in times of crisis. By stepping in at a pivotal moment, we helped safeguard patient care for thousands of communities, ensuring that hospitals and clinics could continue delivering the treatment and support their patients relied on.
"Healthcare Ready’s partnership with Florida’s Community Health Centers has been instrumental in addressing a range of emergencies. Our longstanding collaboration highlights a shared commitment to enhancing the resilience of CHCs against multiple threats, including potential supply chain disruptions, natural disasters, and public health emergencies. By providing critical information to enhance situational awareness and developing targeted training, Healthcare Ready helps build the capacity of CHCs for effective response and recovery. These valuable resources are making a meaningful difference in the communities they serve."
Significant investments in RxOpen and digital engagement
In 2024, Healthcare Ready significantly enhanced RxOpen, expanding its reach and functionality to better support communities during disasters and public health emergencies. With over 630,000 users, RxOpen has become an essential resource, providing real-time insights into pharmacy and dialysis availability while reinforcing supply chain resilience. The newly launched RxOpen website has improved accessibility, offering a more intuitive and streamlined experience for users seeking critical healthcare facility status during crises.
As the only resource of its kind in the United States, RxOpen plays a critical role in emergency response, helping thousands of individuals in disaster-affected areas determine whether their pharmacy or dialysis center remains operational. Beyond individual users, RxOpen is a vital tool for emergency management officials, government response agencies, healthcare providers, business leaders, and private sector partners. Its impact extends beyond immediate disaster response, enhancing coordination and recovery efforts on both local and national levels.
“Healthcare Ready has become a tested and proven partner to the dialysis community on matters of health sector preparedness and response.”
The tool proved invaluable during Hurricane Helene, where engagement from government employees, health systems, and the public surged to over 25,000 people. In addition to the record-breaking website traffic, Healthcare Ready received 19 requests for aggregated data reports from health systems and individuals in North Carolina, along with numerous additional requests from federal agencies and relief organizations.
Since its launch in 2008, RxOpen has helped more than 8 million individuals access life-saving medications and critical healthcare services during disasters and public health emergencies. By providing up to date data on pharmacy and dialysis center operations, RxOpen has played a crucial role in ensuring continuity of care for communities in crisis. The tool has become an essential resource for individuals, emergency management officials, government agencies, and healthcare providers, facilitating rapid decision-making and response coordination. From hurricanes and wildfires RxOpen has consistently supported disaster-affected populations by reducing uncertainty and connecting them to essential healthcare resources when they need them most.
CASE STUDY
Restoring Lifesaving Oxygen and Power After Hurricane Helene
When Hurricane Helene tore through North Carolina, it left behind widespread devastation—flooded roads, power outages, and a critical shortage of oxygen. Without immediate intervention, healthcare facilities struggled to support their patients.
Healthcare Ready escalated oxygen needs in affected areas to federal agencies and advocated for underserved populations to be prioritized for emergency resupply. As a result, vital oxygen resources were safeguarded for over 750,000 patients in hard-hit areas.
Beyond oxygen shortages, power outages jeopardized operations at multiple healthcare facilities. Leveraging our network of public and private partners, we worked with local authorities and energy providers to secure backup power and expedite restoration for critical sites. Our coordinated response helped ensure that essential healthcare services remained available when communities needed them most.
“At the Cencora Impact Foundation, we are committed to strengthening healthcare resilience, especially in times of crisis. Supporting Healthcare Ready’s disaster response efforts for Hurricane Helene was an opportunity to help communities access critical medications and healthcare services when they needed them most. We are proud to partner with Healthcare Ready in advancing preparedness and response efforts.”
Strategic Partnerships
Restoring the Healthcare Workforce Equity Initiative (RHWE)
The Restoring the Healthcare Workforce Equity (RHWE) Initiative, funded by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, was developed as a comprehensive support program providing vital mental health trainings and resources, capacity-building opportunities, and collaborative engagement for healthcare workers in community health centers (CHCs) and free clinics.
A key finding from the project was the urgent need for mental health and emotional resilience resources at the individual level, which became clear through both literature reviews and participant feedback. Virtual trainings, covering topics like social determinants of mental health, supported over 350 healthcare workers, with nearly half holding leadership roles such as Executive Directors and Program Directors. The program’s content was strongly-received by participants, and has received over 20,558 additional views of recorded trainings available for free, online. Partnerships with organizations like the National Association of Community Health Centers, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, All Healers Mental Health Alliance, and Beacon Public Health have played a crucial role in amplifying the initiative’s reach. Additionally, roundtable discussions fostered valuable collaborations and strengthened relationships with key stakeholders working tirelessly to strengthen the healthcare workforce, such as the National Governor’s Association, and Association of Clinicians for the Underserved, along with other partners who collaborated with us on this project. These ongoing partnerships will help ensure that future workforce support efforts are better targeted and accessible to communities in need, ensuring long-term impact.
This program was developed in partnership with:
CASE STUDY
Empowering Healthcare Leaders Through RHWE Trainings
The RHWE Initiative set out to address a growing crisis: healthcare workers in community health centers and free clinics were experiencing extreme mental health strain. Through virtual trainings, the initiative delivered practical strategies on resilience and social determinants of mental health, directly supporting healthcare professionals at every level.
What made RHWE stand out was its reach into leadership circles—nearly one in four participants held C-suite or senior executive positions, ensuring that mental health support became an institutional priority. Additionally, free access to recorded trainings helped extend RHWE’s impact, with tens of thousands of additional views.
Collaborations with national health associations and policy organizations including NACHC, NAFC, ACU, and National Governor’s Association fostered key discussions and lasting partnerships, reinforcing the need for sustainable workforce support. By addressing both individual resilience and systemic challenges, RHWE created a model for long-term change in how healthcare workers are supported in times of crisis.
State-Managed Medication Stockpiling Landscape
Healthcare Ready’s research on state-managed medication stockpiling provides critical insights into how states and private sector entities are preparing for drug shortages and public health emergencies. The study found several barriers making it difficult for state entities to develop and manage of stockpiles of essential medicines.
Public health leaders expressed hesitation about diverting already limited funding and staff resources to support and manage stockpiles and concerns over the lack of clear statutory authority for how drug shortages are to be mitigated. Leaders from the private sector, including hospital associations, cited concerns about the adequacy of public health funding and infrastructure to distribute supplies quickly and reliably during a disaster. Despite concerns, all participants expressed the vital need for solutions to mitigate the impact of drug shortages and to safeguard access to essential medicines following public health emergencies.
“As we continue to help strengthen our nation’s preparedness for public health emergencies, Healthcare Ready’s research on state medication stockpiling provides crucial insights into how we can improve access to life-saving medications. The Cencora Impact Foundation values our collaboration in advancing solutions that address gaps and enhance supply chain resilience."
The research also highlights key considerations for improving state-managed stockpiling efforts, including ways to enhance public-private coordination for public health emergencies, the need for greater clarity public and private-sector alignment for addressing and preventing drug shortages, and the need for more sustainable public-sector funding models. Strengthening these strategies will be essential for improving healthcare resilience and emergency preparedness nationwide.
This research was made possible through the support of the Cencora Impact Foundation, whose commitment to advancing public health solutions has been instrumental in furthering this work.
Looking Ahead to 2025
Dear Healthcare Ready Partners, Supporters, and Stakeholders,
As we reflect on 2024, I am proud of the incredible strides Healthcare Ready has made in strengthening our nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to disasters and public health crises. This past year has been a testament to our deep commitment to protecting communities, ensuring healthcare access, and fostering resilience in the face of emerging threats. Thanks to the dedication of our team, the support of our partners, and the trust of the communities we serve, we have built a stronger foundation for preparedness and response.
Looking ahead, we recognize that our work is far from over. The healthcare landscape continues to evolve, presenting new challenges that require innovative solutions and collaborative efforts. In 2025, Healthcare Ready remains committed to building on our successes by expanding preparedness programs tailored to community needs. We will continue to develop and implement programs that equip communities with the resources and training needed to withstand disasters and health emergencies. Our focus remains on ensuring that the most vulnerable populations have access to the support they need when it matters most. Strengthening supply chain resilience through innovative partnerships remains a priority. The stability of our healthcare supply chain is critical to ensuring continuity of care during disruptions. We will deepen our collaborations with industry leaders, government agencies, and frontline healthcare providers to enhance supply chain preparedness and response capabilities. Deepening engagement to address emerging public health threats is essential. As we navigate an ever-changing public health environment, we will proactively identify risks, develop strategic response plans, and mobilize resources to mitigate the impact of new and ongoing threats. Our goal is to strengthen community resilience by fostering partnerships that drive long-term health security.
The progress made over the past year is a testament to the dedication, expertise, and generosity of those who support Healthcare Ready. Every partner, donor, and advocate play a vital role in ensuring that communities remain prepared and protected in times of crisis. Your commitment fuels our ability to respond swiftly and effectively, and your contributions directly impact countless lives. On behalf of Healthcare Ready, thank you for your support, your collaboration, and your belief in the importance of this work.
Phyllis Arthur, MBA
Board Chair, Healthcare Ready
Executive Vice President & Head of Healthcare Policy & Programs
at Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Acknowledgments
Whether you’re a healthcare provider or organization passionate about fostering preparedness and response efforts, there’s a place for you in our community. Join us in shaping a more resilient healthcare ecosystem, where every member’s expertise and commitment make a tangible difference. To our current members, we extend our sincerest thanks for their committed support and dedication. Your partnership has been instrumental in advancing our mission, and we look forward to continuing this journey together, making even greater strides towards a healthier, more resilient future. Thank you for being the backbone of Healthcare Ready’s success.
Please contact us for more information on becoming a member.
