Summary
Application:
- Admissions & Registration
- Laboratory
- Nursing
- Alternate Care
Products:
- Labels
- Wristbands
- Specimen Transport Bags
- PPE
Situation:
- Spread of COVID-19 in U.S. led to healthcare systems quickly implementing new protocols and trying to stock PPE items
- Health systems implemented color-coded identification protocols to communicate COVID-19 risk
- Huge demands resulted in a PPE product shortage
Outcomes:
- Established standard alert products to align with customer risk communication protocols.
- Leveraged supply chain to source products for healthcare systems experiencing a shortage, quickly adding over 30 new PPE items at the request of customers.
“We appreciate Caresfield’s philosophy of excellent customer service! It is a fine balance of sourcing product – from dependable sources –in these trying times."
- Resource Manager (Acute Care Hospital)
Background
In January 2020, clusters of pneumonia sicknesses spread in Wuhan, China leading to initial cases of COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus*. Soon enough, the first cases of COVID-19 were occurring in the U.S. Within two months, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared a pandemic and the majority of the U.S. halted inessential operations indefinitely. Healthcare organizations were left scrambling to prepare by implementing protocols for managing COVID-19 risks and by stocking up on personal protective equipment (PPE). But with the disruption of a global supply chain along with overwhelming increases in demand, essential products, such as face masks, gloves, and surgical gowns, were quickly sold out and there was a nationwide PPE shortage.
Challenge
The shortage in PPE products in the U.S subsequently led to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services declaring an emergency use authorization (EUA) order, which allows healthcare facilities to use contingency strategies normally not used in everyday settings. This EUA allowed for the reuse of certain products, such as face masks, beyond the one-per-patient recommended usage, as well as for sourcing alternative products to address the shortage in certain product categories. In addition, healthcare facilities had to implement overnight protocols to safely screen all who walked through their facilities, whether that be patients, staff, or visitors. Soon, color-coded wristbands and name badges were in high demand for patient and visitor screening, while signs and decals were required to identify quarantine and isolation rooms. Some facilities, such as independent hospitals or nursing homes, faced additional challenges because their smaller size resulted in less visibility and more limited access to a highly competitive supply chain.
Solution
Caresfield reached out to health facilities and GPO’s, big and small, to hear directly what communication solutions they were looking to implement and which PPE products they were struggling to secure. In the initial weeks of the pandemic, we worked with health systems to establish alert products, such as labels and wristbands, that would comply with newly implemented communication protocols. Seemingly overnight, facilities created screening areas where all patients, visitors, and staff where required to answer a set of questions and have their temperature checked. Depending on the outcome of those screens, the person’s risk level was identified with color-coded wristbands (for patients and visitors) or badge labels (for staff). For example, at many customer sites, a colored Tyvek® wristband was used to code for those who passed the screen on a given day, with a different color corresponding to each day of the week. Those who did not pass the screen were moved to quarantine areas until they could be tested for COVID-19. The status of the individuals who were awaiting test results or individuals who had tested positive was then alerted with a different color band, in many cases a more durable poly or vinyl wristband. Working from our U.S. manufacturing facility, Caresfield collaborated with customers to quickly customize these color-coded wristbands, visitor sticker badges, alert labels, and laboratory testing labels that were required to launch new protocols.
Simultaneously, Caresfield began receiving requests from customers around the U.S. for PPE products, a variety of which qualified under the EUA. While Caresfield stocks powder-free nitrile exam gloves, lab coats, and lab jackets, these products were quickly in higher demand than usual, along with a variety of other PPE items that Caresfield previously had not carried. The operations team at Caresfield immediately tapped into our supply chain and global manufacturing network to source these products and get them into the hands of front-line workers as quickly as possible. Through this process, Caresfield stayed up-to-date on the latest guidelines to ensure that all products sourced were either approved by the FDA (if applicable), qualified for the EUA (if applicable), or met infection control guidelines. In a matter of weeks, PPE items such as face masks, face shields, protective gowns, and hand sanitizer were added to our offering.
Result
Through the course of the pandemic, Caresfield team members listened to countless customers describe the tremendous challenges facing their front-line workers and purchasing groups amid a nationwide PPE shortage. To protect patients, visitors, and staff, health systems focused on two initiatives which Caresfield was able to provide support for. First, policies and practices to limit coronavirus exposure had to be put in place and clearly communicated. Caresfield assisted customers by supplying communication tools, such as color-coded wristbands, labels, and test specimen transport bags, that aligned with new procedures. Secondly, quality PPE needed to be sourced. Caresfield consulted regulatory guidance to determine which qualifications needed to be met to comply with the EUA and tapped into a global supply network to expedite the transfer of these items into customers’ hands.
Shop Now