By Wyeth Ruthven, Director of Congressional and Public Relations, Health Industry Distributors Association
Transportation is a healthcare issue. Over the last several years, we’ve seen one supply chain bottleneck after another. Cargo delays on the West Coast. Threats of labor strife and work stoppages at ports, railyards, and parcel delivery. Even drought along the Panama Canal has caused backups of container ships.
That is why we are pleased to announce that a key HIDA legislative priority took a big step forward with the recent introduction of bipartisan Fast Pass legislation to expedite the flow of medical supplies through U.S. ports.
HR 6140 – the Facilitate Access to Swiftly Transport Goods during a Publicly Announced State of Emergency Situation (FAST PASS) Act would direct the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study of efforts to expedite the movement of critical cargo across all modes of transportation during emergencies. This bipartisan legislation has been introduced by Representatives Mike Ezell (R-MS) and John Garamendi (D-CA).
“When America faces emergencies like Hurricane Katrina or the COVID-19 pandemic, our supply chains must be ready to respond. That’s why we’re introducing the FAST PASS Act, which will help get critical supplies across the country quickly and efficiently,” said Congressman Ezell. “I’m grateful to have Congressman Garamendi’s help leading this bipartisan bill so our transportation system is better prepared for future emergencies.”
“As the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, congestion and supply chain crunches at American ports for medical supplies and other critical cargo can be a matter of life and death,” Congressman Garamendi said. “I am pleased to co-author this important bill with Congressman Ezell to ensure the U.S. Department of Transportation can expedite delivery of critical cargo at our nation’s ports when American jobs and, even more importantly, lives are on the line.”
HIDA is grateful to Representatives Ezell and Garamendi for introducing this important legislation and for their leadership on transportation issues impacting our healthcare system. The FAST PASS Act will take steps towards expediting medical supplies at ports and marine terminals on to rail and truck transport during emergencies like COVID. During public health emergencies, essential medical supply shipments need to be prioritized.
Fast Pass has worked before. When the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach implemented a Fast Pass pilot program, they saw an improvement in the flow of medical products. Patrick Halloran, Director of Global Trade Logistics for Cardinal Health, credited the Port, shipping lines, terminal operators, dockworkers, and truckers with pitching in to reduce the time of delivery of the much-needed medical supplies. “It was great to see this come together as we all moved quickly to prioritize getting products where they were needed,” Halloran said.
The best time to fix bottlenecks in the medical supply chain is when that supply chain is NOT straining under the weight of a pandemic. We owe it to providers and patients to ensure the smooth flow of medical products. Now is the time to adopt Fast Pass. We urge all stakeholders in the medical supply chain to support passage of HR 6140.