State stockpiles supplies for next pandemic

By Christian M. Wade

» Statehouse Reporter

BOSTON — During the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts faced chronic shortages of personal protective equipment such as respirators, ventilators and masks, as the state struggled to acquire the life-saving supplies amid nationwide supply chain issues.

But state health officials are hoping to prevent a similar shortage of critical medical equipment in the future by stockpiling the supplies for the “inevitability” of another public health emergency.

The state Department of Public Health announced Thursday that it has stocked a state-owned warehouse in Franklin with personal protective gear, bandages, refrigerated medical products, and other items.

The 75,000-square-foot facility is strategically located next to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s warehouse, near the crossroads of Interstate 95 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, which state officials said will allow for a quick response “during times of crisis.”

“This warehouse is so much more than just shelves of materials, equipment, and supplies – it represents resilience, readiness, and a collective commitment to respond quickly and fully to care for our communities when disaster strikes,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kiame Mahaniah said in a prepared statement.

The warehouse boasts more than 4,000 storage bins across three levels, with 1,000 square feet of “cold-chain” storage for refrigerated products. A 10-door loading dock allows easy access for trucks. The property has state-of-the-art security and video monitoring, according to the state agency.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of medical supplies left health care workers without essential protective gear, or in some cases, the equipment needed to provide lifesaving care to desperately ill

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patients during the pandemic’s first wave, when vaccines weren’t yet available.

Medical experts have since attributed the shortages to a supply chain that relied on China and other countries for the items and the failure of the federal government to keep the Strategic National Stockpile — a group of warehouses that serve as a repository of drugs and medical equipment — fully stocked.

Massachusetts has faced many public health crises over the years, from the Great Molasses Flood in 1919 to the Blizzard of 1978, and more recently the COVID-19 outbreak. The stockpile plan will help the state be prepared for the “inevitability” of future emergencies, DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said.

“We have learned critical lessons from each of these disasters and other emergencies, large and small,” he said. “And we have taken all those lessons to heart and turned them into action.”

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.