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Though natural disasters like tornadoes, floods and severe storms are becoming increasingly frequent, the demand for healthcare remains constant and uncompromising. Hospitals and physician offices require critical medical products, retail pharmacies depend on daily deliveries and patients rely on life-saving medications without delay, no matter the circumstances.

September is National Preparedness Month, serving as a reminder that emergencies can happen at any time. As a trusted healthcare partner, Cardinal Health works every day to maintain a resilient and adaptive supply chain. Preparedness is a core business capability, enabling us to anticipate, respond to and recover from disruptions. Through careful planning, risk assessments and regular safety drills we work to ensure that when the unexpected happens, the flow of medicine, medical supplies and services remains uninterrupted.

But operational readiness is only part of the equation. We must also keep our employees safe and support the communities where we live and work when disasters strike.

Safeguarding our people
Ensuring our employees’ safety, security and well-being is our highest priority. Through proactive safety protocols, emergency financial support and real-time communication tools, we ensure our team members are protected, informed, and cared for before, during and after a crisis.

• Workplace safety: Across all manufacturing, nuclear and distribution facilities, our environmental, health and safety (EHS) team leads the development, implementation and continuous improvement of emergency response plans. Through rigorous protocols, routine training, hazard awareness programs, and emergency drills, EHS equips employees to recognize risks and respond appropriately to emergency situations.
   
• Employee support: Through our Employee Assistance Fund, we provide immediate financial relief and resources to employees whose lives or homes are impacted by natural disasters. (The Fund is independently managed by a third party that assists employees in applying for grants as needed. Cardinal Health has no visibility into individual applications or awards.)
   
• Emergency communications: During active emergencies, Cardinal Health uses rapid employee notification systems to check on team members' safety, deliver urgent facility updates and coordinate shift adjustments quickly and safely. Our "Alert by Cardinal Health" system is a key tool for this; we remind employees regularly to update their contact information in the system.

Protecting our businesses and customers
To ensure we can continuously serve customers and patients during a crisis, business continuity and risk mitigation strategies are embedded into every aspect of our operations.

• Proactive monitoring: Our 24/7 Security Operations and Intelligence Center (SOIC) continuously tracks potential threats. Ahead of severe weather, they assess and communicate potential impact to enterprise crisis management teams and operations so they can activate business resiliency plans, adjust inventory levels, coordinate logistics and pre-position supplies to mitigate impact.
   
• Resilient logistics: Leveraging our extensive network of distribution centers and advanced route-planning technologies, we can quickly reroute shipments from alternate facilities if a primary hub faces severe disruptions.
   
• Data and technology security: Our cybersecurity and IT teams work continuously to fortify our networks and safeguard our digital infrastructure. This ensures that critical ordering platforms and logistics systems remain secure and accessible to healthcare providers when demand is highest.

Supporting our communities’ recovery
When emergencies strike, Cardinal Health mobilizes resources, partners with leading global disaster relief organizations and supports independent healthcare providers who deliver care locally. By doing so, we help our communities recover more quickly.

• Product donations: Each year, Cardinal Health donates millions of dollars of medical and pharmaceutical products to four nonprofit organizations: Americares, Heart to Heart International, MAP International, Matter and World Vision. These organizations mobilize quickly during emergencies, ensuring that donated products reach those impacted without delay.
   
• Supporting independent pharmacies: The Cardinal Health Foundation supports the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund. When disasters strike, independent pharmacies play a crucial role in maintaining medication access and providing healthcare services to those in their communities. The NCPA Foundation’s fund provides critical financial assistance to support the pharmacies’ own recovery challenges.
   
• Volunteerism: Our employees live our mission of improving the lives of people every day, not only through their work, but through their commitment to the communities where they live and work. They frequently organize volunteer drives to support food banks, shelters and community cleanup efforts in impacted areas.

Editor’s note: National Preparedness Month is also a call to personal action. Cardinal Health encourages everyone to take a couple of simple proactive steps to make sure you’re prepared in case of an emergency:

1.Build an emergency kit with at least 72 hours’ worth of water, nonperishable food, flashlights, first aid items and prescription medications for yourself and your family.
2.Ensure you have an action plan: Review emergency exit routes, locate severe weather shelters and identify meeting points at your workplace facility and at home.