By Maggie Davis, Director of Government Affairs, Health Industry Distributors Association
HIDA recently convened more than 400 state and local government officials for a virtual workshop on building jurisdictional stockpile readiness. The workshop featured healthcare supply chain experts and leaders from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), and highlighted the value of healthcare distributors in supporting the medical supply chain.
Strategic insights from industry leaders
A panel of senior health distribution leaders emphasized that distributors are essential operational partners during emergencies. As the backbone of the medical supply chain during “blue-sky” days, distributors are well positioned to move supplies quickly during an emergency through established provider networks. Highlighting distributors’ real-time inventory visibility and demand forecasting capabilities, panelists discussed how jurisdictions can work with distributors to maintain enough supplies to meet stockpiling needs and deploy them effectively.
Additionally, the panel highlighted the overall value of healthcare distribution in stockpile management:
- Logistics and last-mile delivery networks
- Inventory visibility and demand forecasting
- Sourcing flexibility and product substitution to mitigate shortages
- Established relationships across care settings
SNS encourages jurisdictional stockpiles for medical supplies
The workshop comes as medical supply chain preparedness responsibilities evolve. In December 2025, SNS announced it will focus on products that are not commercially available or are intended for high-impact threats, such as biological or nuclear incidents. State, territorial, tribal and local agencies are now encouraged to develop their own stockpiles of commonly used medical products, including personal protective equipment, opioid antagonists and IV solutions.
As responsibility shifts to local jurisdictions, healthcare distributors are expected to play a larger role in stockpile management. Their expertise in inventory rotation, replacement and logistics makes them valuable partners for agencies building stockpiles for the first time. Workshop participants also emphasized the importance of coordination among government agencies and commercial partners. Following the event, HIDA is developing additional resources to support public-private partnerships for jurisdictional stockpiles.