The Strategic National Stockpile dates back to 1999, when fears of a bioterrorist attack that coincided with the Y2K computer switch took center stage and serves as the nation’s repository for emergency medical response. But hit by a global pandemic and a nationwide demand for supplies, the stock maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services was considered inadequate.
“The nation agreed: we weren’t where we needed to be,” said Steven Adams, acting director of the Strategic National Stockpile, adding that there are ongoing discussions to better position the stock to meet national needs.
Adams said his team has had four briefings with the Biden transition team, adding that there has been no connection with incoming administration on long-term plans for the stock so far.
CNN was given inside access to one of the federal supply warehouses, which are scattered across the country, and agreed not to disclose the location for national security reasons.
In a nearly 3,000-square-foot warehouse that CNN visited, HHS holds approximately $ 2.3 billion worth of products, including smallpox and anthrax vaccines, medical supplies, ventilators, Covid-19 testing supplies, and personal protective equipment.
Earlier this year, as the pandemic gripped the US, staff worked around the clock to deploy supplies, with trailer trucks ready for rapid distribution, said David Allen, deputy head of the SNS Operational Logistics Branch.
In January there were 12 million N-95 masks – which are and are in high demand in total. A total of 194 million N-95 masks are in stock as of December 18. There were similar peaks with surgical masks, gowns and gloves. For example, in January there were 4 million jackets / overalls in federal stock, compared to 173 million currently in stock.
The government is also investing half a billion dollars in the manufacture of household gloves, said Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at HHS, referring to the steps the government is taking to bolster the federal stockpile.
Replenishing the strategic national supply – and plans to improve it – comes at a time when the number of coronavirus cases in the various states is growing significantly and hospitals are trying to continue with chosen procedures, previously put on hold and on the same way require personal protective equipment.
The worsening situation has raised the question once again: Can the federal stock meet demand if supply shortages arise again? The short answer, according to HHS officials, is yes, citing new insight into the supply chain and any bottlenecks, as well as the flow of products currently arriving. The key to those efforts, officials say, is to produce domestic supplies.
“We want to pass these on to the next administration and make sure America never has to do what we’ve been through again,” Mango said.
Previously referred to as the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, the idea behind the stockpile was to build and maintain an adequate supply of drugs and medical equipment in strategic locations across the U.S. to quickly assist state and local communities following an attack with agents such as anthrax, smallpox, plague or other pathogens.
That Y2K attack never came. But supplies were drained after another disaster shortly afterwards: On September 11, 2001, planes delivering supplies to New York City were the only flights allowed in U.S. airspace, except military aircraft and Air Force One.
In the aftermath of 9/11, the stock took its current name: Strategic National Stockpile. It was reused in the early 2000s in response to a series of anthrax attacks in the US and eventually provided enough medication to treat up to 12 million people.
In the years since, the SNS has been used in response to a variety of disasters, from Zika, Ebola and botulism outbreaks to floods and major hurricanes including Katrina, Sandy and Maria.
The Covid-19 pandemic put additional strain on inventory as it did not currently have the amount of personal protective equipment and fans needed. To remedy that, HHS stacked millions of items stored in rural warehouses, including the ones that CNN got access to.
Experts agree that there is more inventory than before, but questions remain about how much is sufficient and whether inventory building is the ultimate solution.
“There is more inventory in more categories than ever in inventory,” said Chaun Powell, who leads the disaster relief team at Premier, a healthcare enhancement company. “Stockpiling in general has helped put us in a better position. We still don’t think stockpiling is a long-term solution.”
Instead, experts have brought to market more advanced IT solutions that provide supply chain insight to identify where problems can arise and enable faster solutions. Adams and Mango praised the department’s progress in improving systems to achieve greater transparency in the supply chain.
The Biden transition team has also begun to engage with experts on how to prepare for delivery, consider future production, including whether the use of the Defense Production Act is necessary, and inventory needs, said Powell, who was involved in discussions with the Biden transition team.
“They need to get a situational understanding of what’s in it, what’s in backorder, who they’re contracting with,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. “They need to get an overview of the whole national situation – federal, state, local.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that it is the job of states, not the federal government, to meet local supply needs, but over time the government has worked to improve the stock to avoid shortages like earlier this year. But Trump’s comments are also prompting states to build up their own stockpiles.
Steven Batson, the chief of staff for South Carolina’s Emergency Management division, told CNN that the state has a 30-day supply for the first time – an effort that began over the summer.
Batson said the state is “happy with federal planning,” adding, “There’s nothing like experiential learning to find out what works and what doesn’t.”
Likewise, California has partnered with private sector suppliers to establish inventory “so that California’s health care and essential workers do not suffer the same supply shortages and exorbitant prices that characterized the early days of the pandemic,” said Brian Ferguson, the deputy director for crisis communications and public affairs for Governor Gavin Newsom’s office.
If local capacity is exceeded, states can rely on federal inventory stock. And this time, officials say, they are better prepared to respond to pandemic-related demands.
CNN’s Sara Murray and Scott Glover contributed to this report.