The soft, white flannel coverlet with blue and pink stripes is the preferred choice for swaddling newborns at hospitals across North America. Medline has manufactured the iconic Kuddle-Up blanket since the 1950s, selling an estimated 1.5 million in the “candy stripe” pattern to hospitals each year.

Many people know Medline as a healthcare supply manufacturer, distributor and solutions provider. The blue logo and products are a common sight across the continuum of care, including hospitals, surgery centers, physician offices and nursing homes. Fewer consumers, however, may know that the $21.2 billion company also sells more than 12,000 products and supplies each year directly to adults, families and caregivers, providing a lifetime of care.

These include Medline-owned CURAD^® first aid, FitRight^® continence care, Simply Soft beauty and Remedy Skin Care^® products, as well as Medline-brand and private label items. Medline products can be found on the company’s e-commerce site, Medline at Home; at Amazon.com and Walmart.com; in over 115,000 retail locations including Target, Costco, Walgreens and CVS; and through tens of thousands of home medical equipment (HME) providers.

Providing the full continuum of care

“One thing I love is that we take care of patients throughout their entire lives, often beginning at birth,” said Medline Senior Vice President, Retail Division Dawn Sicco. “We never leave them.”

The product selection includes HME and durable medical (DME) equipment—respiratory, oxygen therapy, ostomy and urology supplies; wheelchairs; bath safety products; orthopedic aids; home diagnostics; and caregiver supplies. The company also offers over-the-counter medications; mom and baby products; skin care, including wound and infection prevention; feminine care; personal care products; nutritional items; as well as a variety of vitamins and supplements.

“If you’re taking care of a parent who has had a fall or an accident, you see the Medline wheelchair or brand in the hospital,” said Medline Senior Manager of Retail Consumer Marketing Dawn Freitag. “It makes sense that when the patient goes home they want to continue using the same trusted products. This is especially true for patients with chronic wounds or conditions such as diabetes that requires ongoing supplies and care.

“Providing the full continuum of care gives us a real comfort level with the consumer,” Freitag said.

Meeting the evolving needs of families and caregivers

“Medline products also reflect what’s happening in the hospital and institutional side, as well as consumer trends and insights,” said Sicco. “We’re working to meet the evolving health needs of adults, families, aging patients and caregivers.”

Medline recently conducted a comprehensive study on consumer needs and trends in care, and in particular, the priorities of durable medical equipment users. The research found that half of these consumers live independently, the majority lead an active lifestyle, and three-fourths engage in some form of regular exercise or social activity.

“We know that many older consumers would prefer to age at home and want to equip their home with durable medical equipment,” said Freitag. “We also know that there’s a substantial segment of the population who are caregivers, often working full time and taking care of children and a parent or loved one. There’s a huge need for ease. These caregivers need to get in and out of the store quickly with whatever mom or dad needs.”

To help meet these needs, Medline will soon offer a new line of eight caregiver kits at CVS stores. The Home Living Essentials kits include the “Bathe Safe & Easy” kit with a transfer/shower bench, shower curtain and two loofah sponges; and, the “Reach, Grab & Go” mobility kit with a folding cane, “reliable reacher” and extended reach shoehorn.

Partnering with ‘power house’ brands

Medline also is partnering with respected “power house” brands, including Arm & Hammer to provide enhanced odor control for the company’s new FitRight Fresh Start line of products—aimed at new moms and active seniors—and Martha Stewart on a new, stylish Home Comfort Care line of mobility aids, gloves, and other home and safety products, said Sicco. Medline’s CURAD brand also offers “fashion forward” adhesive bandages designed by illustrator and artist advocate Kendra Dandy.

Last year, Medline partnered with Copenhagen-based byACRE to offer the company’s line of modern, lightweight rollators. They include the new Overland Carbon all-terrain rollator, designed to easily move through sand, snow and even uneven surfaces.

“These brands resonate with consumers,” said Freitag, adding that the Martha Stewart and byACRE partnerships allow patients to “age in style.”

“There’s a trust with Medline products and brands,” said Sicco. “We’re harvesting all of the incredible capabilities that we have at Medline and bringing them to consumers, ensuring and facilitating a lifetime of trusted care.”

Learn more about Medline consumer products
Visit Medline at Home to view consumer and at home health products
Find a retailer selling Medline products