Henry Ford Health System working to stock up on medical supplies during COVID-19 crisis

DETROIT - Henry Ford Health System is stocking up now, in anticipation of more COVID-19 patients.

“While we may be able to meet our needs now, it's very difficult to anticipate what those needs may be,” said Henry Ford Health System Associate Chief Dr. Betty Chu. 

 The lifesaving item in demand is ventilators and the hospital is making sure there is enough to go around, as patients come in, in respiratory distress because of the virus.

 “Henry Ford Health System has across our facilities approximately 400 ventilators however we are anticipating the need for additional so we have 74 on order,” said Henry Ford Health System Vice President, Jim O’Conner. 

The timeline for that order of ventilators is about 8 weeks out, but the health system is working to expedite. 

Hospital officials say there is enough, for now.

FOX 2 was told they just got 12,095 masks and 16,000 procedural mask. Typically, this material would last a month, but right now it’s just days. 

Part of the supply chain problem, is that 95% of masks used in the US are produced overseas.

“It's going to be critical for the healthcare industry to redirect some of this production back domestically,” O’Conner said. 

 Several Henry Ford Nurses spoke under anonymity to FOX 2 concerned over their own protection and being forced to use the masks longer than normal, and fear of dwindling personal protection equipment or PPE's.

 Hospital officials answered questions on how they're tracking employees’ exposure. The answer, unclear - but they did say where things are headed in regards to tracking The Coronavirus.      

 “As the incidents of COVID in the population goes up it becomes a moot point to do tracking of COVID patients because the prevalence is so high not only in the hospital but outside of the hospital in the community,” Dr. Chu said.