HDA recognizes the role healthcare distributors can play in minimizing the healthcare sector’s carbon footprint. Many members are already committing to sustainability initiatives — from adopting eco-friendly packaging to setting carbon neutrality goals.

The World Health Organization has estimated that more than 13 million deaths around the globe are due to avoidable environmental causes stemming from climate change. Accordingly, this year’s World Health Day (April 7) theme is “Our Planet, Our Health,” which focuses on the political, social and commercial decisions that affect the environment as a factor in human health. The public and private sectors each can do their part on this front — and HDA believes that healthcare distributors have an important role to play in the health of the planet when it comes to delivering medications sustainably.

Healthcare distributors, as logistics experts of the supply chain, are constantly innovating to increase efficiencies, optimize operations and generate solutions for an ever-evolving ecosystem — while continuously ensuring the safe, efficient and reliable delivery of 10 million medicines and healthcare products every day.

Throughout the past year, HDA distributor members worked tirelessly to ensure the continued delivery of everyday, lifesaving medicines and support COVID-19 response efforts. Equipped with extensive logistics expertise, distributors used communication, collaboration and coordination with trading partners and at all levels of the government to aid and help protect the health of Americans across the country.

Protecting the health of Americans begins with ensuring the well-being of our planet — and healthcare distributors recognize the industry’s responsibility to drive meaningful action on reducing climate change.

HDA President and CEO Chip Davis participated in the Aspen Institute’s 2021 Aspen Security Forum as part of a panel discussion entitled, "Building a More Resilient Global Supply Chain."

HDA recently sponsored and participated in the Milken Institute’s 2021 Future of Health Summit. This year’s event, held on June 22–23, brought together industry experts, public health leaders and elected officials for insightful policy discussions on a variety of issues that are shaping healthcare in our country.

HDA President and CEO Chip Davis recently spoke at the 2021 BLC Online about the unique role of the healthcare distribution industry in combating COVID-19, how distributors continue to rise to its challenges and what is still needed to turn the corner on the pandemic, among other association priorities.

For the past year, I have watched the men and women of the healthcare distribution industry go above and beyond on a daily basis to make sure medicines, vaccines, PPE and other medical supplies reached patients and providers across the country. Their energy, determination and commitment have ensured a resilient supply chain during the most challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic and a distribution network that has continued to deliver value each and every day.

We have reached another pivotal moment in the fight against COVID-19: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate for emergency use. With demand for vaccines currently outpacing supply, the addition of a third candidate is welcome news for Americans. Most importantly, a one-dose option that only requires refrigeration will provide greater flexibility in delivering vaccines to more individuals, including those in underserved and rural areas, with the ability to scale up production exponentially as we move into the spring and summer months.