Health First Helping Provide for the Hands That Heal During COVID-19 Pandemic

By  //  April 26, 2020

Health First has spent roughly $2 million on emergency supplies and services

Providing for the hands that heal with urgent healthcare supplies is exactly what Health First has done for its associates who battled the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, Health First has spent roughly $2 million on emergency supplies, services and personal protective equipment (PPE) to fight the COVID-19 public health crisis. (Health First image)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Providing for the hands that heal with urgent healthcare supplies is exactly what Health First has done for its associates who battled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This unprecedented event has stretched our supply chain beyond anything we could have ever imagined, but our teams have risen to the challenge and have done an amazing job,” said Mike Goings, Health First Vice President of Contracts and Supply Chain.

To date, Health First has spent roughly $2 million on emergency supplies, services and personal protective equipment (PPE) to fight the COVID-19 public health crisis.

However, projections show that “we could spend an additional $3.5 million, as equipment and supplies remain in high demand worldwide, but that’s yet to be determined,” Goings said.

Weeks into the fight, Health First strategically began to source and safely store supplies at its Distribution Center.

“We take our work very seriously, knowing that our patients and associates depend on us to provide urgent supplies that are in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to carry out lifesaving efforts to support and heal,” Goings said.

During this global shortage, Health First was able to acquire supplies, while not solely depending on traditional distribution channels. Those traditional channels have been severely strained and not able to fully meet the demand for the Integrated Delivery Network (IDN).

A recent COVID-19 Supply report shows that almost 850 different supplies and equipment have been received or are expected to arrive.

Some of the items include:

■ Personal protective equipment (PPE)
■ N95 face masks
■ Surgical/isolation gowns
■ Hand-washing stations
■ Sanitizer gels
■ Ventilators
■ Face shields
■ Surgical gloves
■ Negative pressure room equipment
■ Humidifiers
■ Bacterial/viral filters
■ Isolation air units
■ N95 mask decontamination lights
■ Swab kits
■ Temperature indicators
■ Triage tent showers
■ COVID-19 test kits

Health First continues to provide essential and urgent healthcare supplies to associates who endure the everyday battle to help our neighbors and loved ones during COVID-19.

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