FRANKLIN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Following an intense shortage of healthcare supplies and gear during the early days of the COVID pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is stocking up.
A Franklin warehouse is now the location of the state's PPE and healthcare stockpile, with more than 21 million pieces of medical equipment on the shelves. That huge hoard was accumulated by the state from various places over the last five years.
The warehouse is located next to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency at the intersection of I-495 and I-90, a spot chosen specifically for its quick access to most of the state.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new retrofitted section, Director for DPH’s Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management Karen Molesky spoke about the future of the public health warehouse.
“It represents our resilience, readiness, and our promise to protect the health and safety of every resident in Massachusetts,” said Molesky.
Officials at the ceremony indicated that this warehouse was created partially in response to the pandemic, when desperately needed PPE was nowhere to be found as doctors and nurses tried to vie with a rising tide of COVID cases.
Commonwealth Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Kiame Mahaniah noted the importance of having a facility like this, particularly in the light of recent federal funding cutbacks to agencies like FEMA and the CDC. Other officials emphasized the need for Massachusetts to be able to be more self-reliant, with federal support not guaranteed.
“This warehouse gives me great confidence in Massachusetts Public Health Infrastructure, even in the face of uncertainty and chaos at a Federal level, said Dr. Mahaniah.
From a giant fridge to five different types of ventilators, to countless pallets of N-95 masks, the warehouse would have been a sight for sore eyes on the spring of 2020.
“This is a seventy-five thousand square foot promise to the people of Massachusetts, that when a disaster comes, we’ll be ready. When a crisis strikes, we’ll respond,” said Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.
More information on the facility can be found on the website here.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.