Special Bulletin: AHA Announces Partnership to Accelerate Availability of PPE; New Smart App Will Help Coordinate Efforts

America’s hospitals and health systems are working diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of the health care workforce during the COVID-19 crisis. They must have the personal protective equipment (PPE) and support they need to provide care to patients. The demand for PPE has created a severe shortage across the world and the supply simply cannot keep up with the demand.

To respond to that need, the AHA recently launched the 100 Million Mask Challenge. AHA is calling on manufacturers, the business community and individuals across the country to coordinate efforts – facilitate new relationships with hospitals and health systems – in order to rapidly produce needed PPE on a large scale for our nation’s health care heroes.

To help coordinate these efforts even further, the AHA is pleased to announce we have partnered with Kaiser Permanente, consulting firm Kearney, Microsoft, Merit Solutions, Goodwill, and UPS to launch Protecting People Everywhere, powered by HealthEquip™. HealthEquip is a smart app that will match individuals and organizations donating PPE with local hospitals based on needs-criteria. The app also will track PPE donations and manage shipping through UPS to your hospital.

“The hospital field is exploring all options to increase production and distribution of much needed PPE in order to best support our health care heroes across the country,” said Michelle Hood, AHA executive vice president and chief operating officer. “HealthEquip builds on the progress of the 100 Million Mask Challenge to turn this call to action into a valuable tool for hospitals and health systems on the ground.”

To register, please visit www.health-equip.com. In addition, please view this video guide and frequently asked questions document for more information. Hospitals and health systems can begin registering and submitting requests for PPE immediately, the broader public launch will take place on Tuesday, April 14.

Health care workers are our most valuable resource when it comes to treating and stopping the spread of the virus. Please share this resource with your supply chain leaders and team managing your supply of PPE.