Keeping Medical Supplies Moving Through Hurricane Season
When hurricane season intensifies, communities brace themselves for powerful winds, flooding, and disruptions to daily life. Hospitals and healthcare providers in these areas feel the impact acutely, as they must continue caring for patients even when their own facilities and supply chains are at risk. The need for medical supplies—from personal protective equipment to surgical instruments—becomes even more urgent during such crises. For Cardinal Health, one of the largest healthcare distributors in North America, hurricane season is a call to action. The company’s mission is to make sure medical products continue to flow, so healthcare providers can focus on their patients rather than worrying about logistics.
“Every shipment matters, especially in an emergency,” said Cherrod Williams, director of operations at Cardinal Health’s Weston, Florida, medical distribution center. “Our goal is to ensure our customers receive the critical products they need.”
That seemingly straightforward goal belies the complexity of the healthcare supply chain. The journey of a single product—from the manufacturer, through distribution hubs, and ultimately into the hands of doctors and nurses—requires a finely tuned system of planning, collaboration, and resilience. During hurricane season, that system is tested to its limits.
A Distribution Network Built for Resilience
At the heart of Cardinal Health’s emergency preparedness is a distribution network designed with adversity in mind. Instead of a linear, fragile chain, Cardinal Health operates a hub-and-spoke system built for flexibility. Its Replenishment Centers (RCs) serve as the backbone of the network, supporting a wide network of Forward Distribution Centers (FDCs) strategically positioned across North America.
This system enables the company to anticipate and adapt to disruptions quickly. Before, during, and after severe weather events, teams across sales, logistics, operations, and customer communications share real-time updates on storm paths, potential facility risks, and delivery routes. This collaboration ensures rapid decision-making and seamless coordination.
Each FDC is equipped with generator power for up to 72 hours, pre-contracted fuel vendors, and satellite phones to maintain communication during outages. These localized centers are designed to keep serving healthcare providers even when roads are blocked or power is down. Meanwhile, RCs maintain high levels of inventory, providing backup to FDCs and ensuring products can be rerouted when needed.
“Our regional RCs are built to maintain optimal inventory levels of products at our FDCs and across the supply chain,” explained Jeremy Currithers, vice president of operations for the National Replenishment Center Network. “Our entire purpose is to ensure consistent, timely delivery to our forward distribution center locations and provide backup when local emergencies arise.”
Currithers noted that the RCs—covering more than 13 million square feet of space, equivalent to over 225 football fields—play a vital role in breaking down large shipments from manufacturers into smaller, tailored orders for the FDCs. This setup ensures that medical facilities receive what they need, when they need it.
Among the benefits of this structure:
- Operational efficiency: Automated triggers prompt replenishment shipments when FDC inventory levels dip, keeping supplies consistent.
- Reduced stock-outs: Buffer inventory helps minimize shortages, even during peak storm disruptions.
- Strategic positioning: RCs are located near shipping ports and in proximity to their supported FDCs, allowing for just-in-time deliveries.
When emergencies strike, RCs can pivot from standard delivery schedules to daily or even on-demand shipments, ensuring critical medical products reach frontline healthcare providers.
Preparing for the Storm With Customers
Preparedness begins well before the first storm clouds appear. In at-risk regions, Cardinal Health partners directly with hospitals, clinics, and healthcare systems to assess needs and develop action plans tailored to their operations.
That means increasing inventory levels of essential supplies—particularly personal protective equipment (PPE)—in RCs and FDCs near high-risk zones. It also includes optimizing delivery routes to steer clear of storm-affected areas and moving critical inventory closer to vulnerable regions before weather events hit.
For instance, earlier this year, when scientists anticipated the possible eruption of Mount Spurr in Alaska, Cardinal Health proactively shipped extra N95 masks to its Anchorage FDC. The additional stock was intended to safeguard both healthcare providers and patients from exposure to volcanic ash.
“Sites proactively review their plans ahead of hurricane season to strengthen readiness,” said Sherrick Orie, vice president of operations for Cardinal Health’s North American medical distribution network. “This includes updating key contact information, reinforcing communication protocols and reminding employees of the potential impacts of severe weather.”
Beyond internal planning, Cardinal Health equips customers with a hurricane preparedness checklist. This tool helps hospitals and clinics anticipate and mitigate supply risks. The checklist covers items such as:
- Special delivery instructions for priority departments
- Off-hour dock or hallway access for emergency deliveries
- Pre-designated storage areas for increased inventory
- Guidance on advance ordering of critical items
Williams emphasized that preparedness is ingrained in Cardinal Health’s culture: “Business resilience is part of our company’s operating rhythm. Team members from new associates to leadership are all trained to think in terms of efficiency, safety, and quality.”
The ultimate goal, he said, is to ensure healthcare providers can focus entirely on patient care. “Because we’ve had such extensive experience in managing through extreme weather, we can coach our customers through a hurricane, helping them protect their operations so they can continue to focus on their patients.”
When the Storm Has Passed
The challenges don’t end when the winds die down. After a hurricane, Cardinal Health’s teams spring into action to assess damage, clear delivery routes, and restore supply chains as quickly as possible.
Brian Kuebler, site operations manager at Cardinal Health’s Hammond, Louisiana, distribution center, explained how his team operates in phases. Located in a region regularly battered by storms, his warehouse serves Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle—all areas prone to hurricane impacts.
In the “pre-event” phase, Kuebler works with sales teams to encourage customers to review their inventory levels and increase orders of critical supplies ahead of potential disruptions. He also monitors reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), synchronizing updates to his team with NOAA’s reporting schedule.
During the storm, Cardinal Health’s Security Operations and Intelligence Center (SOIC)—which operates 24/7—monitors weather patterns and facility conditions. The SOIC ensures constant communication between local distribution teams and regional leadership, allowing for rapid and coordinated responses.
Once the storm has passed, teams immediately assess whether delivery routes are accessible. If public roads remain closed, Cardinal Health collaborates with government agencies and law enforcement to secure the necessary credentials for priority vehicle access. “When it’s safe for our employees, our customers become the very next priority,” Kuebler said.
Investing in Resilience
September and October are typically the most intense months of hurricane season. For Cardinal Health, this period is when its investments in infrastructure, technology, and partnerships prove their worth. By maintaining redundancy in inventory, equipping facilities with backup systems, and training employees to respond quickly, the company ensures medical products keep moving when communities need them most.
“We know our customers rely on us, especially in the most challenging times,” said Orie. “That’s why we invest in infrastructure, technology and partnerships that enable us to act fast and stay flexible, no matter the disruption.”
For Williams, the mission always comes back to the patient. “We know there’s a patient in a hospital at the end of every delivery route. That knowledge drives every decision we make—especially during hurricane season.”
