Are you prepared to face a break in the supply chain?
Hospitals around the U.S. are in full-blown crisis management mode after learning 
manufacturers won’t be able to meet demand for one of their most common and vital supplies. Sterile saline, the saltwater mixture used for everything from treating dehydration to mixing medications, is scarce and will continue to be so at least through the end of the year.
Because of this, hospitals and medical facilities are being left to find their own workarounds, like the ones reported in a recent PBS Newshour article by April Dembosky:
Hospitals have developed new clinical protocols to conserve supplies during the shortage. Nurses at San Francisco General are using smaller saline bags when possible, and transitioning patients who still need hydration to drink water from cups a little sooner than they did in the past. Kennedy (the hospital’s materials manager) has spent hours talking with pharmaceutical and clinical staff about when to use these conservation measures, to make sure there is enough saline to go around.
“Pie is a good analogy. Now I’m going to use 16 slices of pie instead of eight slices of pie, and I’ll be able to feed 16 people instead of eight,” he said.
Supply shortages can hamstring your organization overnight, and the fact that they’re one of the most predictable crises means there are no excuses for not being prepared. Locating alternate suppliers, establishing your own reserves, identifying different delivery options, and putting together contingency plans to cover both short-term and long-term unavailability of crucial items needs to be included in every crisis management plan.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com