Northwell Health, the largest health system in New York, is considering buying its own medical supply company so it doesn't have to rely on outside sources during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, officials from Northwell wrote in a newly published book.
The book, Leading Through a Pandemic, was co-written by Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, and Charles Kenney, chief journalist at Northwell Health. It details the health system's experiences fighting the pandemic.
Northwell's 23 hospitals have treated about 70,000 COVID-19 patients, more than anywhere else in the country, according to KYR News.
In the book, the health system leaders said Northwell wants to buy its own medical supply company so it becomes self-sufficient when it comes to medical supplies.
"We should never again have less than a robust stockpile of ventilators and other essential equipment. Overreliance on China to manufacture vital supplies is a perilous gamble," Mr. Dowling wrote.
During the height of the pandemic, Northwell Health employees had to go to hardware stores to buy garden hoses to make ventilators they received from the state usable, the book states. They also used 3D-printed parts to make breathing machines and nasal swabs to use for COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
Northwell said it is talking with private manufacturers about buying a supply company.
"We’re in talks with a couple of companies. You can’t depend on people overseas for supplies when you are in the middle of a war," Mr. Dowling told The New York Post.