With disruption comes growth. That was one of the many takeaways from the interviews we gathered from this year’s Women Leaders in Supply Chain. They discussed how this year challenged them, reshaped priorities and positioned them for the future. The following were just a few of the insights shared:
Cindy Gueltzow, vice president – supply chain services, Baptist Health: “I’ve always known how dedicated my staff was to our health system, but the pandemic shined a light on my team so the entire system can see the value we bring to the organization. We’ve sustained short-term recalls, backorders and supply chain disruptions in the past; however, we’ve never had to manage at this heightened level for an extended period of time until COVID.”
Daisy Aguallo, MS-HCA(c), director supply chain analytics, San Francisco Health Network, SF Department of Public Health: “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a learning experience. I learned to be more patient and compassionate towards staff. We are all trying to do our best even when the perception may seem otherwise. Every day we are faced with difficult decisions to make. Those decisions, at times magnified with a pandemic can create a stressful environment.”
Dee Donatelli, vice president of professional services at TractManager and principal, Dee Donatelli Consulting, LLC: “Without a doubt increased collaboration has been the most valuable outcome of the pandemic. We have talked about clinical integration of the supply chain for years, but COVID has really emphasized what can be accomplished when we take SC to our clinicians.”
Kim Moon, director supply chain, Tucson Medical Center: “The model the industry has promoted for a well-run department of ‘Just-in-Time’ inventory was ultimately our largest failure and the greatest risk. In a world of disposable simplicity we have created a liability not only for the hospital staff but for patients and our community. We must re-evaluate how we do business and ensure that the needs and requirements of a pandemic are incorporated into our planning.”
Mittal Sutaria, vice president, contract and program services, Pharmacy for Vizient, Inc.: “Overall, my team and I learned that although we are not involved in direct care of COVID-19 impacted patients, there was still so much work that needed to be done to support our member hospitals. I also learned that every individual on my team was looking for ways to do more to support our members. I was able to see how passionate they are about working to assure that we would be able to get additional product to a hospital that was experiencing a surge of COVID-19 patients, which increased demand that far exceeded their historical purchases and allocation level.”
Janie Ott, vice president, supply chain, The University of Kansas Health System: “Supply chain leaders are evolving over time and the pandemic has put them in a position to be noticed.”