Going Above and Beyond for Patients
Why does supply chain resilience and recovery matter?
When disaster strikes and dangerous conditions disrupt normal supply chain operations, the health of communities is at stake. Natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and bursts of violence may limit a patient’s ability to access necessary medicines. Approximately 70% of Americans rely on at least one prescription drug, and over 50% depend on two or more. Most of these prescriptions are for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, or mental illnesses- medications that must be taken daily.
One Goal: For the Patients.
Our Heroes are committed to placing their patient’s health as a top priority. Pharmacists, distributors and providers, and manufacturers not only figuratively go the extra mile to deliver comprehensive care, but oftentimes literally. When over 24 inches of snow pummeled the Midwest region during the brutal 2019 winter season, pharmacists traveled on snowmobiles and tractors to deliver prescriptions to their patients. Their mission is always the same: Whatever it takes.
Based on data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey, the CDC identified that over 1/3 of Americans report not having good general health status. That number far outweighs the roughly 309,000 employed pharmacists in the nation. Pharmacists have their work cut out for them under normal circumstances, so one can only imagine the extraordinary efforts put towards maintaining healthcare distribution during a disaster.
Behind the scenes, distributors work tirelessly to safely transport medications and products from manufacturers to hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, pharmacies, dialysis centers, and many other healthcare facilities. In the U.S., distributors deliver to over 220,000 healthcare sites and often make deliveries within 24 to 48 hours of emergency situations. The around the clock work, especially during emergencies, allows healthcare facilities to secure and maintain a proper stock of vital medicines for patients.
Nonetheless, components of the supply chain- manufacturers, distributors, pharmacists, providers, and more- overcome countless obstacles for their communities. Through compassion and courage, our Heroes face extreme conditions head on so their patients can survive. Healthcare Ready is honored to work alongside many of these inspiring Heroes who selflessly step up during disasters and aid in supply chain recovery. Without them, not only would our work be impossible, but countless lives would be lost. Here, we highlight times our Heroes went above and beyond for patients
