COVID-19 Response

We know that now, more than ever, our customers are relying on us as the demand for healthcare services accelerates due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Committed to Supporting Our Customers So That They Can Support Patients

Our company mission at Owens & Minor is Empowering Our Customers to Advance Healthcare. The health and safety of our teammates, suppliers, and our customers and their patients are at the heart of everything that we do, each and every day. We continue to take significant action across our organization to make and deliver product as rapidly as possible. Owens & Minor is working closely with government agencies and supply chain partners to address the unprecedented demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We will continue to do everything we can, for as long as we can, to maintain the vital supply chain to our healthcare customers throughout the fight against COVID-19.

What we are doing…

  • In January, we restricted visitors to our Distribution Center and Manufacturing facilities. Since then, we have now further restricted access to only business critical service and supplier partners.
  • We are requiring all teammates in Distribution Center and Manufacturing facilities to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • We implemented temperature checks at all of these facilities.
  • We implemented robust safety training across the enterprise.
  • Where possible, teammates are working remotely.

  • In the earliest days of the COVID-19 impact on the United States, Owens & Minor enacted business continuity and expedited delivery plans to ensure our ongoing capability to supply critical products to US hospitals.
  • In January, Owens & Minor’s medical distribution business enacted product allocation protocols to preserve the availability of PPE and other products for all customers for as long as possible.
  • As a result, Owens & Minor has maintained its ability to continue providing customers with products necessary to maintain core hospital activities.

  • The majority of Owens & Minor’s PPE manufacturing is located within the US and Americas, enabling a more rapid supply chain from point of manufacture into the United States.
  • The company has invested heavily to expand manufacturing capacity.
  • To date, these efforts have enabled the expansion of manufacturing capacity for N95 masks by 300%, as well as expanded manufacturing capacity for ear loop and surgical masks and for surgical gowns, compared to 2019 levels.

  • Owens & Minor is a member of White House COVID-19 Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force – working with FEMA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide healthcare customers critical product needed to fight this crisis.
  • Owens & Minor is working closely with the US government on what is publicly titled, Project Airbridge. Along with other distributors, Owens & Minor is facilitating airfreight of critically needed PPE into the United States, and then into specific areas of acute need where the impact of COVID-19 is greatest.
  • Owens & Minor is one of five manufacturers awarded a portion of the US Department of Health & Human Services’ recent purchase order that will supply to the US approximately 600 million N95 respirator masks over the next 18 months.
  • Owens & Minor was part of Operation Local Production, a public-private cooperation with the City of New York, the White House and UPS. Owens & Minor produced 1 million yards of fabric for medical gowns, which shipped directly from its facility in Lexington, North Carolina.

Resources

Pandemic Preparedness

As a leading healthcare company, Owens & Minor has robust pandemic preparedness plans in place at every level of our organization. We have a multi-faceted approach to pandemic response:

  1. Teammate Safety
  2. Business Continuity
  3. Serve Customers
Pandemic Preparedness

Essential to Critical Infrastructure

Owens & Minor is a primary provider of medical and surgical products for healthcare facilities. We have been declared “essential to critical infrastructure workforce” in the national COVID-19 response PER guidance issued on March 19, 2020 from the US Department of Homeland Security.

“As a critical extension of our operations and supply chain, we view our supplier partners and service providers as included within the definition of “essential to critical infrastructure workforce.”

External Resources

The global COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving and challenging situation. The following resources offer information for customers and the community:

CDC - 2019-NCOV
WHO - Coronavirus Disease 2019
Coronavirus.gov

In the News

NYC garment district to begin producing surgical gowns amid coronavirus crisis
Read More
Mayor De Blasio press conference- recognizes Owens & Minor's efforts in Operation Local Production
Watch Here

COVID-19 PPE FAQs

The following FAQs and answers are provided below to assist healthcare providers regarding usage behaviors for products sold by Owens & Minor.

A respirator is a personal protective device that is worn on the face or head and covers at least the nose and mouth. Respirators, including those intended for use in healthcare settings, are certified by the CDC/NIOSH and should be fit tested prior to use
An N95 filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) is a type of respirator which removes particles from the air that are breathed through it. These respirators filter out at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles, including bacteria and viruses.
Infection control procedures including administrative rules and engineering controls, environmental hygiene, correct work practices, and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) are all necessary to prevent infections from spreading during healthcare delivery. Reference the website Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings for information on infection prevention and control regarding COVID-19.

Respirators alone do not protect against the coronavirus. We do not claim that wearing our respirators prevents coronavirus. Owens & Minor sells proprietary HALYARD* brand and non-proprietary NIOSH-certified N95 filtering respirators.

Owens & Minor’s position is that we will not sell expired respirators. Owens & Minor has no data to support the use of respirators beyond the expiration date printed on the package and does not recommend using our products past its expiration date. The FDA and CDC have not provided an exemption for manufacturers to sell expired respirators.
Owens & Minor’s position is the same for respirators. We only recommend using products that conform to the product labelling and will not sell product that is expired.
Owens & Minor does not recommend using expired HALYARD brand respirators. Owens & Minor only has data to support the 5-year expiration date described on the product labelling for HALYARD* N95 Particulate Filter Respirators and Surgical Masks. This data supports the functionality of the respirator including the straps and nose bridge, which can affect the quality of the fit and seal. Additionally, it supports certification requirements set by NIOSH to ensure filtration of small particles, including bacteria and viruses. For non-proprietary brands, HCPs should refer to the manufacturer of the brand for their position on using expired respirators.
Owens & Minor only recommends using medical devices products only as described by the manufacturer’s label claims.
Owens & Minor proprietary HALYARD* N95 Respirators are manufactured in our internal North American manufacturing sites. For Owens & Minor non-proprietary respirators, refer to the manufacturer of that brand.
No. HALYARD* N95 respirators are labelled as single use. The respirators are designed to be disposable and should be removed and discarded after exiting the patient’s room or care area and closing the door. We are aware that the CDC has published a guidance document that recommends practices for extended use and limited reuse of NIOSH-certified N95 filtering facepiece respirators (commonly called “N95 respirators”). The recommendations are intended for use by professionals who manage respiratory protection programs in healthcare institutions to protect health care workers from job-related risks of exposure to infectious respiratory illnesses.
No. HALYARD* N95 Respirators are labelled as single use. The respirators are designed to be disposable and not to be reprocessed (cleaned, disinfected/sterilized).
No. Owens & Minor only recommends using our medical devices as described by the label. Owens & Minor only has data to support the indications for use that are described on the label. Owens & Minor does not have any data to support the safety of products used off label or for product that has been modified.
Surgical gowns and isolation gowns have different intended use claims. Owens & Minor recommends only using products as described by the products label claims.

The CDC provides the following guidance on the types of gowns available for healthcare personnel to protect from COVID-19:

  • While the transmissibility of COVID-19 is not fully understood, gowns are available that protect against microorganisms. The choice of gown should be made based on the level of risk of contamination. Certain areas of surgical and isolation gowns are defined as “critical zones” where direct contact with blood, body fluids, and/or other potentially infectious materials is most likely to occur. (ANSI/AAMI PB70).
  • If there is a medium to high risk of contamination and need for a large critical zone, isolation gowns that claim moderate to high barrier protection (ANSI/AAMI PB70 Level 3 or 4) can be used.
  • For healthcare activities with low, medium, or high risk of contamination, surgical gowns (ANSI/AAMI PB70 Levels 1-4), can be used. These gowns are intended to be worn by healthcare personnel during surgical procedures.

If the risk of bodily fluid exposure is low or minimal, gowns that claim minimal or low levels of barrier protection (ANSI/AAMI PB70 Level 1 or 2) can be used. Isolation Gowns should not be worn during surgical or invasive procedures, or for medium to high risk contamination patient care activities.

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Return Policy

Owens & Minor reserves the right to suspend returns, disallow returns, or delay the acceptance of returns if Owens & Minor determines, in its discretion, that such action is necessary or appropriate due to natural disaster, pandemic, or other circumstances beyond Owens & Minor’s reasonable control. All merchandise on allocation at time of purchase is not eligible for return.

Join Our Team

Owens & Minor knows that many of our neighbors are out of work right now, and we want to help! We are eager to do our part to empower healthcare providers during COVID-19 while also supporting our communities as a stable employer. We welcome displaced workers to the Owens & Minor team, and we are offering temporary opportunities for those who may not want permanent jobs.

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