Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards joined Tangipahoa Parish and Medline officials, and hundreds of guests, at a ribbon cutting and official grand opening for the new, $72 million, LEED-certified Medline distribution center in Hammond, the largest medical supply facility in the state.

“This is a tremendous state-of-the-art facility; there’s not one that’s more efficient anywhere, and it’s right here in Louisiana,” said Edwards. “I could not have been more impressed, whenever I’ve toured this facility, to see how efficient it is, and the scale in which it’s going to be able to provide hospitals, nursing homes and other providers with the things they need to deliver high-quality care. When you look at all the multipliers, the economic multipliers, this is a tremendous win for our state and for this community.”

The 650,000-square-foot facility serves healthcare providers in Louisiana, Mississippi and eastern Texas.

“We knew that this was a company that we wanted to have in Tangipahoa Parish,” said Parish President Robby Miller. “Medline, being the type of company and the type of partner they are, every concession that they were asked for they did and better. It was an incredible partnership from the beginning. We’re so fortunate to have this type of international company here.”

Supporting the community

The distribution center supports a payroll of over $4.5 million. In addition to approximately 350 construction jobs, the distribution center is expected to bring another 450 full-time jobs to the region when operating at full capacity and spend approximately $300,000 with local vendors for maintenance and upkeep. The facility distributes more than $200 million in annual medical supply sales.

“This building stands as a testament to Medline’s commitment to making healthcare run better in the State of Louisiana,” said Steve Miller, Medline executive vice president of supply chain, who lauded local officials for their partnership and highlighted the building’s energy-efficient design, state-of-the-art robotics and automation, and team member amenities.

This facility “really embodies (Medline’s) vision to be a recognized leader in supply chain and a competitive advantage for our customers.”

Régine Villain, Ochsner Health chief supply chain and support services officer, said Medline is a trusted partner, with the ability “to really focus” and meet evolving customer needs.

“We’re all about our patients, right? And so, we need to know that our partners also think like that,” said Villain. “Even though Medline is an international entity, they in many ways act like a small company; small in that you can get something done very quickly. I have a direct line into some of the top executives at Medline. It’s a matter of a phone call. ‘Hey, you know what, we need X, Y and Z,’ and they’re on it. It takes them very little time to turn things around.”

A ‘good neighbor’

Nick Latino, director of operations at the Hammond distribution center, assured local residents, officials and business leaders, that Medline “will continue to be a good neighbor.

“To our friends and neighbors, we are committed to keeping the promises we made,” said Latino. “We will continue to support local programs and projects in the community. We are the largest healthcare distribution facility in the state, and we’re committed to being an economic development partner in the region for years to come.”

During the ceremony, Latino presented awards to eight Medline employees, now working at the Hammond location, for their exemplary work.

“Through hurricanes, freezes and the pandemic, they have continued to be true to our core believes of impeccable service to our healthcare business partners, which allows them to provide lifesaving care to our Louisiana communities,” said Latino.

The Hammond distribution center is a part of Medline’s multi-year, $2 billion Healthcare Resilience Initiative, a national capital expenditure campaign that included new distribution centers, manufacturing capabilities and information technology (IT) upgrades to further the company’s commitment to delivering superior customer service. The new building utilizes the latest technology, including an advanced robotic system for picking medical supply orders, a hands-free voice picking system, and a full redundancy backup for power.

Medline serves the nation’s top healthcare systems, operating over 50 distribution centers and more than 20 manufacturing facilities across North America. The company distributes 300,000 unique medical products, including 65,000+ manufactured by Medline.

Learn how Medline tailors solutions across the entire continuum of care as a manufacturer and distributor.