New PPE Distribution Process for NYC Health Care Providers

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH), Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR), has announced news regarding its work to develop an emergency stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the event that there is a COVID-19 resurgence. To streamline the process of providing PPE to frontline health care workers serving NYC patients, they are partnering with Medline to support the request and delivery of PPE from the stockpile.

The stockpile will serve as an emergency backstop for PPE supplies when normal supply chain options are not accessible. Providers should exhaust all other options for purchasing PPE before requesting supplies from the NYC PPE Stockpile. All emergency NYC PPE Stockpile requests will be placed through the Medline website and delivered directly to your account ship-to location subject to approvals from NYC. To set up an account, please use the login information provided to you via email. Even if you have an established account with Medline, you should use the account and login from NYC for this purpose. More information on this process and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are available here.

Other details on the new process:

This resource is for providers serving within the five boroughs. Providers outside of the five boroughs serving NYC will also be eligible.
Hospice is not included as a provider at this time and will be evaluated later.
PPE options include isolation gowns, goggles, gloves, face shields, caps, boot covers, etc. Ventilators fall under a separate process.
Providers must attest to having less than one week’s supply and that PPE is for the safety of residents/patients and staff.
There is a monthly provider cap.
Orders must be put into the system Monday through Friday by 10:30 a.m. Friday inputs are delivered on Monday. NYC must approve all requests.
Contact Medline for login and order issues; contact NYC DOHMH for other questions.
NYC might seek reimbursement for the supplies if not reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Not-for-profits are eligible for FEMA reimbursement; for-profits are not. Cost per unit is provided as a reference.
Prices will be reviewed regularly to ensure fair rates.

A live Medline.com webinar training session was offered to NYC nursing home providers, hospitals, and testing sites late last week. More Medline webinars will be rolled out for additional providers. The training sessions will provide an overview of the steps you will take to place an emergency request through Medline.com. Training should be completed in advance of the “go-live” date, when you will be able to place requests for fulfillment through Medline.com.

As a reminder, this is an emergency source of PPE for NYC health care providers, and by submitting a request through Medline.com, you will be confirming that the PPE you are requesting is required to protect staff and patients during the COVID-19 response and that you currently have less than one week of the requested supplies on hand.

Go-Live Dates

Acute Care Facilities, Nursing Homes, and Testing Sites – Sept. 14, 2020
Adult Care, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), BH-Cong, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), Primary Care, Dialysis, Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP), Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs), Regional Emergency Medical Services Council (REMSCO), Dental (Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) also included) – Date forthcoming; anticipated by end of September

Providers will receive an invitation to attend a webinar-style training for Medline.com; the dates of these webinars will be as follows:

Webinars (only attend one)

Acute Care Facilities, Nursing Homes, and Testing Sites – Sept. 9, 2020, 9-9:30 a.m. ET, and Sept. 10, 2020, 1-1:30 p.m. ET
Adult Care, OPWDD, BH-Cong, FQHC, Primary Care, Dialysis, OTP, LHCSAs, REMSCO, Dental (CHHAs also included) – Webinar dates forthcoming

If providers are or were unable to attend training, a training guide will be provided after the webinars. Additionally, following webinar training, you will receive access instructions from Medline.com with more information on accessing the website to place emergency PPE requests.

For questions, members may reach out to LeadingAge NY or email PPEsupport@health.nyc.gov.

Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-929-9342 or Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383