Throughout National Healthcare Supply Chain Week (October 4-10), we’re proud to celebrate our supply chain colleagues and their significant contributions to patient care. We’re grateful for the impactful ways they support healthcare organizations and their communities.
When crises like hurricanes, fires or other emergencies threaten the healthcare supply chain, our teams unite to ensure healthcare providers and patients receive a continuous, uninterrupted flow of critical products.
During the past year, our ability to adapt, collaborate and move with speed was put to the test as our Global Medical Products and Distribution (GMPD) team navigated major disruptions and worked to maintain continuity of supply for our customers and their patients.
In the video above, Benjamin Brinker, president of Global Operations and Supply Chain (left), and Jeff Porubcansky, president of U.S. Medical Products and Distribution, discuss the teams who navigate major disruptions and maintain continuity of supply chain for providers and their patients.
Built for severe weather
A hurricane batters the Gulf Coast. A historic snowstorm paralyzes the Southeast. Wildfires rip through British Columbia. When disaster strikes, healthcare providers should be able to rely on a healthcare supply chain built for adversity.
“We know our customers depend on us, especially in the most challenging times,” said Sherrick Orie, VP, North America operations for GMPD. “So, we invest in infrastructure, technology and relationships that enable us to act fast and stay flexible, regardless of the disruption.”
Our “hub and spoke” system spans nearly 50 distribution and replenishment sites across North America. The network is flexible and designed to adapt to changing conditions. Each distribution center (DC) is prepared for localized emergency responses with pre-contracted fuel vendors, generator power for up to 72-hours and satellite phones for connectivity, ensuring continuous customer service during crises.
Taking the wind out of hurricane season
Before a hurricane even has a name, our supply chain teams work together with health systems at-risk for impact to develop concrete plans for keeping products moving. That includes optimizing delivery routes and increasing inventory levels of critical items like personal protective equipment (PPE). We provide customers with a hurricane preparedness checklist covering special delivery instructions, designated storage for increased inventory and more.
"Being prepared is part of our company's operating rhythm," said Cherrod Williams, director of operations in Weston, Florida. “Because we’ve had such extensive experience managing through extreme weather, we can coach our customers through a hurricane, helping them protect their operations so they can continue to focus on their patients.”
Weathering the winter
When roads close during severe winter weather, "showing up for our patients and customers is critical," said Eamonn Moye, director of operations in Montgomery, New York. "We have an obligation to get our supplies to hospitals and patients in critical need. Showing up means you are showing up for family and friends, because at some point our loved ones will be one of our customers.”
That obligation was fulfilled in Charlotte, North Carolina, this past year when our teams navigated the third largest snowfall in the city's history. "We were concerned about the safety of employees traveling to and from work, as well as our fleets out on the roads," said Jennifer Saylor, director of operations in Charlotte. At the same time, “we had to ensure our customers received supplies.”
Richard Luckner, senior manager of U.S. transportation, added, “I partner closely with cross-functional teams, regional leadership and our third-party logistics providers to optimize routing, enhance delivery performance and develop scalable transportation strategies that can help ensure seamless delivery.”
Battling wildfires in Canada
The Cardinal Health Canadian operations team faced a different kind of emergency when a difficult wildfire season in British Columbia disrupted major transportation corridors. At one point, the team was monitoring more than 100 active wildfires across the province.
“As soon as we became aware of the highway closures and wildfire activity, we engaged carriers to understand contingency plans, assessed alternate routes, and communicated risks to our teams,” said Khalid Ahmadzai, Cardinal Health Transportation. “We also provided ongoing updates so stakeholders could proactively manage customer expectations.”
Despite significant disruptions, including prolonged closures of major highways, the team successfully rerouted freight and closely monitored shipment movements. That allowed linehaul deliveries to continue with minimal customer impact. "Daily monitoring and rapid decision-making enabled us to recover quickly from disruptions and maintain service continuity," Ahmadzai said.
Fire in Northern California
A medical supply warehouse destroyed by a fire can disrupt healthcare delivery far beyond the building itself. The Northern California healthcare community felt the impact earlier this summer when a fire tore through a DC operated by another medical products supplier — approximately 75 miles from our Cardinal Health Dixon, California, facility; both sites supply medical products across the region. With patient care as top priority, healthcare providers needed an immediate solution.
Our local teams quickly assembled a cross-functional, rapid response group that spanned commercial, supply chain operations and transportation. The goal: ensure current Cardinal Health customers continue receiving medical products while expanding operations to help those who previously relied on the DC lost in the fire.
“I have never seen such a response at this scale,” said Kelly Peterson, director of operations at our Dixon facility.
For Peterson, the response began early on a Sunday when she received a call that a major health system that had previously relied on the other distribution center needed help. The next morning, she was onsite, helping reconnect the hospital to critical medical products, ensuring that we were able to serve as the health system’s emergency go-to. When the health system requested supplies for surgeries scheduled the next day, our team prioritized picking and packing those products and coordinated a pick-up that same night.
During another critical moment when a different health system needed anesthesia kits, our supply chain teams identified and redirected kits that a separate provider no longer needed, turning surplus inventory into an essential lifeline.
We also reached out to other health systems served by the other DC. The surge in new product orders was significant, and our entire team rallied. We added staff to our Dixon DC from other Cardinal Health locations, some as far away as Texas. Around the clock, they worked to source the additional inventory needed, monitor stock levels, and approve emergency releases of products for affected health systems.
Our teams also worked closely with providers to ensure they received products that were truly needed so we did not deplete inventory at our Dixon distribution center. Current customers would continue to be served, while accommodating the surge in new orders.
Peterson said that the motivation for her entire team was personal. “We always know that we’re doing more than delivering products — we’re helping clinicians save lives,” she recalled. “In this case, we knew we were helping families get the care they needed. It’s one thing to say you’re resilient. It’s another to prove it, and that’s what we did.”
Stepping in for self-distribution
When a major health system in the southeast suddenly shut down its own DC for an onsite emergency, medical supplies stopped flowing to the system’s area hospitals and other sites of care. Surgeries were at risk of cancellation and patients would potentially need to be transferred to other health systems. What happened next was a testament to having the right supply chain partner when it matters most.
The health system operated its own central DC and internal transportation network. Several times a day, trucks and vans carried supplies from the hub to the health system’s many sites of care — until the deliveries abruptly stopped.
“The self-distribution center was the backbone of their supply chain,” said Shannon Kelso, SVP, acute sales for Cardinal Health’s U.S. Medical Products and Distribution business. “In an instant, that backbone was broken, putting patient care at risk.”
The health system responded quickly, creating a cross-functional command center including hospital leadership, nursing, clinicians, and supply chain personnel. They also made a call to our team. “Over the years, we’ve built trust with this customer,” Kelso said. “When the call came, we rallied our team quickly, with our local team taking the lead.”
Working closely with the health system's command center, our sales, operations and transportation teams helped coordinate a comprehensive response to maintain continuity of supply. We deployed team members onsite around the clock, expanded staffing at our area distribution center and established new transportation routes to directly support care sites previously served by the health system's internal delivery network. Inventory and demand planning teams also collaborated to share data and prioritize critical deliveries.
The result: not a single delivery was missed.
“This seamless execution and operational partnership Cardinal Health provided happened in a moment that mattered most,” said the system’s director of logistics and operations. “Our shared commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for our patients is what made it happen, and we deeply appreciate the extraordinary effort of all involved.”
From fires to blizzards, hurricanes to whatever comes next, the message is clear: reliable supply chains are built with deliberate planning and the ability to adapt quickly under pressure, and by a team that never loses sight of who depends on them.
“No matter where a customer is in their supply chain journey, we’re ready to collaborate with their teams and deliver reliability and flexibility they count on,” Kelso said.