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Rethinking the Role of the Strategic National Stockpile

An overview of testimony by Daniel M. Gerstein presented before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 24, 2020.

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The Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19
The United States maintains a stockpile of drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies to provide for the nation's emergency health security. COVID-19 has highlighted the need to update current stockpiling capabilities to help prepare for future biological events, including pandemics.
Jun 24, 2020
How to Reduce Medical Supply Shortfalls During Pandemics
Pandemics present a high risk of medical supply shortfalls. But shortfalls in “hot spot” regions could be reduced by minimizing idle inventory and acquisitions of new supplies in regions where the number of infections is low. A backstop mechanism could help assure these “cool spots” that, if they release supplies and delay acquiring new supplies, they will have priority access in the future.
Apr 16, 2020
Health Care Resource Allocation Decisionmaking During a Pandemic
The Core Guidance Checklist can help health systems and policymakers make choices about how to allocate scarce but lifesaving resources—for patients and for health care workers—during the COVID-19 crisis.
Jun 18, 2020
Innovations During COVID-19: Silver Lining or Threat to Patient Safety?
We still don't know what works best to treat COVID-19. Some of the ideas and innovations are outstanding, but they are, so far, untested. There is an urgent need to evaluate ongoing innovations to learn what works and what doesn't, and what may have costs that are acceptable only under crisis conditions.
Jun 1, 2020