Posted on Dec 23, 2022
Why does the U.S. government lock medicine away in secret warehouses?
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https://www.npr.org/2022/12/23/ [login to see] /strategic-national-stockpile-medical-warehouses
Surges in COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory illnesses are forcing the U.S. government to do something it normally reserves for emergencies: release hoards of stockpiled Tamiflu to states in dire need of more flu medicine.
The move from the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday came via the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), which allows the government to tap its reserves of medicine and other medical supplies when a mass outbreak or other health crisis occurs.
It's true. There is a network of warehouses, each the size of several Walmart Supercenters, located in top-secret locations across the country. And while much about the stockpile remains a secret, it continues to play a vital role in the COVID pandemic.
Here's what we know about the multibillion-dollar inventory of vaccines, equipment and other medical supplies designed to help save lives.
Surges in COVID-19, the flu and other respiratory illnesses are forcing the U.S. government to do something it normally reserves for emergencies: release hoards of stockpiled Tamiflu to states in dire need of more flu medicine.
The move from the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday came via the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), which allows the government to tap its reserves of medicine and other medical supplies when a mass outbreak or other health crisis occurs.
It's true. There is a network of warehouses, each the size of several Walmart Supercenters, located in top-secret locations across the country. And while much about the stockpile remains a secret, it continues to play a vital role in the COVID pandemic.
Here's what we know about the multibillion-dollar inventory of vaccines, equipment and other medical supplies designed to help save lives.
Why does the U.S. government lock medicine away in secret warehouses?
Posted from npr.org
Government
Medical
Health
Drugs
Pharmaceuticals
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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Hopefully they are rotating stock since dating has to be watched for maximum effectiveness
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."What kind of supplies does the SNS stockpile?
In short, pretty much any medical supplies that could be useful during a mass outbreak or health crisis.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division of HHS, details some of the inventory on its website:
There are 1,960 containers of nerve agent antidotes, known as chempacks, in case of a chemical incident, in more than 1,340 locations, such as fire stations and hospitals, across the U.S. More than 90% of Americans live within an hour of one of these locations, according to ASPR.
If a natural disaster or another catastrophe affects the number of hospitals or amounts of medical equipment available, the SNS can deploy "rapidly deployable caches" that come with a bed and other medical supplies. Each of these federal medical stations can house 50 to 250 patients and comes with enough pharmaceutical supplies to last for three days.
The SNS also says it has "millions of masks, gloves, gowns, N95 respirators, face shields and other necessary supplies" and 16 different models of ventilators at the ready for those with COVID."...
..."What kind of supplies does the SNS stockpile?
In short, pretty much any medical supplies that could be useful during a mass outbreak or health crisis.
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division of HHS, details some of the inventory on its website:
There are 1,960 containers of nerve agent antidotes, known as chempacks, in case of a chemical incident, in more than 1,340 locations, such as fire stations and hospitals, across the U.S. More than 90% of Americans live within an hour of one of these locations, according to ASPR.
If a natural disaster or another catastrophe affects the number of hospitals or amounts of medical equipment available, the SNS can deploy "rapidly deployable caches" that come with a bed and other medical supplies. Each of these federal medical stations can house 50 to 250 patients and comes with enough pharmaceutical supplies to last for three days.
The SNS also says it has "millions of masks, gloves, gowns, N95 respirators, face shields and other necessary supplies" and 16 different models of ventilators at the ready for those with COVID."...
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