By Matt Rowan, President & CEO, Health Industry Distributors Association
As HIDA began 2022, our Board of Directors committed to four key areas of focus: pandemic preparedness, diversity & inclusion, environmental stewardship and membership growth. As we approach mid-year, HIDA is pleased to report substantial progress on all of these issues.
Preparing for future pandemics
HIDA’s Pandemic Preparedness Summit will bring together healthcare supply chain stakeholders and federal partners to build on the public-private partnership. Throughout the pandemic, the collaborative efforts of government and the supply chain were instrumental in the response. Envisioned as an annual event, the Summit will be a working session to exchange information, develop best practices, protocols and information on supply chain readiness.
This focus on preparedness is part of our “whole of government” approach to advocacy, as HIDA has deepened its ties with both the legislative and executive branches. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HIDA has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to work with subject matter experts on issues of mutual concern. In Congress, HIDA has engaged with Senators from both parties on comprehensive legislation such as the PREVENT Pandemics Act that would strengthen medical supply chains and public health preparedness.
Competing for talent, building diversity
As an industry, we compete for talent against other industries. The healthcare supply chain provides meaningful jobs and rewarding careers that stack up well when compared to other industries. Also we want to continue to benefit from a workforce of diverse perspectives and experiences.
This summer, HIDA will launch a website where prospective applicants can browse entry-level listings, apply for their first jobs and launch their careers. This effort will include digital and direct recruitment efforts focused on graduates of Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
To guide this effort, HIDA launched the Workforce Development Advisory Council composed of business leaders in our industry with wide experience in talent acquisition as well as human resource professionals from member companies.
Sustainability and the supply chain
Among our members, being good stewards of the environment is a high priority. HIDA has launched a Sustainability Council to take a leadership role in setting standards for our industry around sustainability. This council will advance sustainability practices in the healthcare supply chain, focusing on standardizing reporting structures and information exchange between trading partners. The vision is to then promote peer to peer information sharing on sustainability best practices, goal setting and metrics.
Membership expansion
As always, the strength of HIDA is in our membership. In 2021, HIDA’s membership increased by 21%. So far this year, we have added 14 new members of HIDA and 13 new associates of the HIDA Educational Foundation – a membership increase of more than 10%. HIDA’s first priority is to continue this membership growth is among medical distributors, manufacturers and stakeholders.
To continue to broaden and deepen our engagement with members companies across the healthcare supply chain, HIDA launched a new Councils in Direct to Patient and Environmental Services to provide focused networking and learning opportunities in these areas.
HIDA’s goal is to continually grow influence and relevance by engaging member companies that share the common goal of improving our supply chain and responsiveness. We invite everyone to learn about the value of distribution and access the resources available on our website at HIDA.org.