PPE Kits Receive Rapid Rollout for State's Health Department | Government

2/17/2021 RRD

From sourcing through distribution, RRD executed 16,000 kits with millions of components in four weeks’ time 

CHALLENGE

A midwestern state was exploring ways to effectively allocate the funding it received from the Coronavirus Relief Fund — a result of the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Recovery, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The state’s Department of Health and Human Services selected RRD to roll out a personal protective equipment (PPE) kit initiative using these funds. The team drew on its previous experience with PPE distribution programs in the state for this kit’s design and development. The kit would be delivered to home healthcare workers in the state. Its contents would include masks, face shields, gloves, protective gowns, and safety goggles. 

The state had aggressive goals for rapid distribution, and there were a few obstacles to overcome.

• Turnaround time: With the year drawing to a close, the state needed to get the PPE kit program up and running in a matter of weeks. 
• Supply issues: With the global pandemic raging, PPE supply was extremely volatile and competition for materials was intense.
• Returns management: The state needed a solution that could handle the return of PPE kits.
• Complexity: There was a degree of supply chain complexity involved in managing suppliers, kitting, packaging, and fulfillment of the PPE kits.  

SOLUTION

RRD took ownership of the entire PPE kit supply chain. Instead of managing a number of supply chain layers, the state could now call on RRD as the single point of contact for the PPE kits. RRD’s solution included:

• Sourcing: RRD sourced all PPE kit materials, leveraging an extensive vendor and partner network.
• Kitting and packaging: RRD managed the kitting and packaging of all PPE kits.
• Print materials: Each kit included one printed item with kit information, which RRD also handled.
• Fulfillment: RRD oversaw the fulfillment of each PPE kit for home healthcare workers in the state and managed returns. 
• Reporting: RRD tracked each delivery and provided daily reporting to the state.

RESULTS

By leveraging RRD’s extensive supply chain capabilities, regulatory-compliant facilities, large capacity, and project management expertise, the state was able to work through the challenging COVID-19 environment to roll out its PPE kit program within the desired timeframe. Additional results included:

• RRD swiftly produced 16,000 PPE kits containing 6,864,000 PPE devices.
• PPE kits were delivered to home healthcare workers over just four weeks.