View the webinar

As part of its on-going partnership with the North East Regional Urgent Care Association (NERUCA), Medline recently presented a webinar “Disaster-proofing your supply chain” to NERUCA membership and other providers as part of NERUCA’s emergency preparedness series.

Session presenter Alex Semonite, senior director of logistics at Medline, has supply chain and emergency preparedness expertise stemming from his service in the U.S. Army and years with a major medical supplies manufacturer.  He currently works with health systems around the country on supply chain and related emergency preparedness planning and customization.

Semonite provided a high-level overview of supply chain foundational practices as well as tools and tips for preparing facilities for natural disasters and other life-threatening events and emergencies impacting communities.

“Whether you’re dealing with weather-related disasters, a mass-casualty event, a cyberattack or even just a disruption in your IT system that affects ordering,” said Semonite, “The ability of your organization to withstand and recover quickly from difficulties defines the resiliency of your organization.”

Semonite said that established and efficient inventory management practices are the foundation for all best-in-class supply chains – and are a critical part of emergency preparedness.   Team members should meet regularly to identify and document potential supply chain friction points or opportunities for improvement that drive basic inventory management practices.

Facility teams can create a shared understanding of supply chain functionality and improving emergency preparedness with:

• Supply chain mapping – compiling current team member names, responsibilities and contact information; confirming vendor and distribution partner contacts and account numbers; and, identifying other outside agencies the facility interacts with in and outside of an emergency
• Documented standard operating procedures and SOP one-sheets – concise instructions that provide clear direction; available at any given time; shared with new employees or anyone outside the facility who may be helping during emergencies
• Established manual back up processes – outlining necessary action relating to critical processes if an emergency up-ends your current capabilities
• Inventory optimization – becoming familiar with the inventory on-hand on a normal day along with what is being used regularly and what is not; allows team members to continuously refine and refresh list of SKUs that will likely be required in an emergency
• Communication to team members inside and outside of your processes – including SOPs, labeling, and signage

When developing or making improvements specifically to emergency preparedness plans, some of the best practices recommended by Semonite include:

• Developing consistent, repeatable processes
• Creating clear signage, labeling and other visual indicators that will help staff and emergency resources with location of supplies and SOP execution
• Proactively identifying and pre-approving product substitutions
• Documenting, aligning, practicing and reviewing the plan

For more emergency preparedness tips, view the complete webinar here.

Or, contact Sarah Alasya at SAlasya@medline.com.