Supply Chain is one of five key healthcare service categories for Pointcore, which features the Pointcore Supply Chain Services Collaborative. This alliance program leverages the procurement and contracting services with the scale of OSF and extends to Pointcore’s members to drive down costs and provide value for clients. When the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for critical personal protective equipment (PPE) across the globe, Pointcore found a new way to innovate around the supply chain, by developing strategic efforts to gain efficiencies and control of supply while strengthening the communities they serve.
CHALLENGE
As a healthcare services company, Pointcore had been wading through the many obstacles and problems that surfaced from the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning early in 2020. With the world in crisis and hospitals on the front lines of caring for COVID-19 positive patients, healthcare facilities were struggling with having enough PPE supply for both patients and those providing care. Gaps in PPE supply stemmed from COVID-19 related staffing shortages and increased demand globally. And, with approximately 80% of all PPE coming from Asia, what could be done to take control of the situation and be self-sustaining?
SOLUTION
Developing the Solution
Pointcore, in partnership with OSF HealthCare’s Integrated Solutions group, developed a strategic plan to overcome difficulties with PPE supply, which included the development of their own manufacturing operation. Protective masks were identified as PPE in high demand and the most feasible to produce quickly. Pointcore selected central Illinois-based Peoria Production Solutions (PPS) to partner on manufacturing efforts. The endeavor required capital investment to develop a clean room and secure the necessary machinery to produce the much-needed masks, while leaning on the production workforce of PPS.
This workforce includes employees with disabilities, which is central to PPS’s mission to provide a secure and respectful work environment for individuals with disabilities. The partnership not only aligned with the mission of Pointcore as an extension of OSF to deliver the best care possible, but also strengthened the economy and community of central Illinois.
Manufacturing High-Quality Mask Portfolio
What started as an operation to produce high-quality barrier masks expanded to two additional ASTM certified masks, including Pointcore Surgical Masks, which meet ASTM level 2 requirements, and N95 masks. Each mask is manufactured in Peoria, IL with the highest standards and tested to meet safety requirements.
RESULTS
- Eliminated our reliance on oversees ear loop mask suppliers
- Pointcore Supply Chain Collaborative members receive access to supply at a special price
6 Million
MASKS
produced to date
30,000
MASKS
produced each day
Pointcore mask manufacturing was a strategic move to put Pointcore Supply Chain Service Collaborative members and the community in a better position to provide the best care possible and transform healthcare in the areas we serve. And while the need for PPE mask production surfaced from the COVID-19 pandemic, developing better solutions for PPE supply chain will always be vital for healthcare settings.
