March 17, 2021 – Lawmakers in Florida are considering setting up a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) that it would then make available for sale to healthcare practitioners during declared emergencies, according to CBS Miami.
Despite some concern from one lawmaker who cautioned the measure could turn a “government agency into an Amazon,” the House Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved its version of the proposal (HB 1353), sponsored by Rep. Clay Yarborough.
To ensure the state has enough respirators, gloves, gowns and masks to cover the potential need, the Division of Emergency Management would be required to complete an inventory of equipment “held in reserve” and procure additional equipment or arrange by contract for it to be sold to practitioners or their employers at cost.
Committee member Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, noted that the state Division of Emergency Management has provided PPE free of charge during the COVID-19 pandemic to healthcare practitioners and asked whether there would be a policy switch to require providers to pay for the equipment.
Yarborough said that the bill’s intent “is not to restrict it to where it can only be purchased, especially to other groups that aren’t healthcare providers.” However, concerns remain that the change would be a burdensome task for the government while also making it more difficult for smaller providers to access needed equipment during a crisis.