The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and cargo-handling companies at West Coast ports are set to begin contract negotiations May 10 for 22,400 workers across 29 ports, which has some experts concerned about further supply chain disruptions, The Wall Street Journal reported May 8. 

As part of National Hospital Week, it is also important to recognize supply chain professionals as part of that group of dedicated healthcare workers and the role they play in successful hospital operations.

Collaboration is key in building patient care supply resiliency, according to a May 2 report from the Healthcare Industry Resilience Collaborative and Supply Risk Solutions.

Here are 10 health systems that have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: 

The supply chain crisis has caused persistent shortages of basic medical supplies, such as IV tubing and catheters, leading systems to stockpile materials, Forbes reported May 3.

The continued disruptions to global supply chains are beginning to affect healthcare industry operations, according to Premier's "The Current State of Healthcare Supply Chain Disruptions" report. 

The FDA issued a notification April 29 regarding two confirmed counterfeit COVID-19 testing kits and urged people not to use or distribute them. 

Every year in May, we celebrate National Hospital Week. This allows an opportunity to highlight our hospitals, health systems, and healthcare workers and the innovative ways they are supporting the needs of their community members, especially through this pandemic. 

The complexities of equipment acquisition in the healthcare space are growing by the day. Broad contributing factors include geopolitical unrest, labor shortages, supply chain issues, inflation, and rising interest rates. Any one of these factors is challenging enough, but the combination of them all means a bumpy economic road ahead. Thus, wise business leaders and purchasing professionals will seek to be well informed and ready to utilize tools and strategies that can help navigate through these challenging times in a balanced and effective manner.

Seventy new COVID-19 cases in Beijing and an upcoming testing blitz may lead to a new lockdown of China's capital city that has raised concerns about its potential impact on global supply chains, The New York Times reported this week.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., one of the world's largest shipping companies, has seen signs of port congestion easing, Bloomberg reported April 27. 

Here are 10 health systems that have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: 

Supply chain woes are likely to last for the "foreseeable future," Mike Roman, CEO of 3M, said in an April 26 interview with BNN Bloomberg.

A combination of international and domestic events in recent weeks have the potential to disrupt the U.S. supply chain. 

If your facility is looking to take a whole system approach to supply chain and expand into the non-acute space, focus on building a streamlined strategy for a high-performance system.

Blood shortages weren't uncommon before the pandemic, but COVID-19 stalled blood donations and escalated the situation into a crisis. Blood shortages can have profound effects on patient care, operations and profitability. The good news is that leading US blood centers are adopting innovative management practices and community-driven solutions to help hospitals deliver better patient care and realize better performance.

China's extended COVID-19 lockdown of Shanghai has led to logistical disruptions that have almost caused the transport of goods to be "ground to a halt," The Wall Street Journal reported April 21.

Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, recognized as one of America's leading healthcare organizations, currently serves over 12.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente has a long history of environmental stewardship and views sustainability as the intersection of climate change, health, and equity.

Here are seven health systems that have posted job listings for supply chain expertise in the last week: 

Supply chain disruptions and shortages, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, are risk factors for corruption to occur from third parties and agents, The Wall Street Journal reported April 21.