NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
A Defense Logistics Agency and Veterans Health Administration partnership is ensuring over 1,200 Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care facilities nationwide have 120 days of personal protective equipment to face a potential fall outbreak of COVID-19.
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, is receiving, storing and distributing the equipment to free VHA’s limited storage and will save millions of dollars in storage costs, said Andrew Deluise, a VHA liaison officer who works alongside DDSP employees to ensure process compliance.
Over 1,400 pallets of personal protective equipment were delivered on 62 trucks to DDSP’s Mechanicsburg and New Cumberland locations mid-July through mid-August. DDSP employees stored most of the equipment and shipped the first 2,400 masks Aug. 21 to VA facilities.
DDSP and DLA Distribution San Joaquin, California, will receive additional equipment from vendors and ship it to VA facilities in September. DLA Distribution sites in other regions will also assist to ensure all four VA regions in the United States, including U.S. territories, are supported, added Shala Pulgar, DLA Distribution business development specialist.
“This is a great interagency relationship that can help our nation’s veterans,” Deluise said, adding that the effort is just one part of an evolving plan to leverage DLA Distribution for long-term material support for VA facilities.
The 1,200 facilities receiving the personal protective equipment serve over 9 million veterans.
“I can’t say enough about our dedicated workforce,” said DDSP Commander Army Col. Trenton Conner. “Thanks to their work ethic and patriotism, we continue to successfully support the warfighter while also supporting our whole-of-government partners, including our veterans, during the COVID-19 pandemic.”