MARION [June 22, 2020] – When United Church Homes welcomed Phil Darling as its newest director of procurement and supply chain earlier this year, few could have imagined the trajectory of the supply challenges ahead.
Running Start for Director of Procurement
Darling joined the team March 16, just days after federal officials announced the closure of all skilled nursing and assisted living communities to nonessential visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Darling got a running start – joining a team he described as dedicated and talented – and hasn’t slowed.
“We take what God gives us and just go along for the ride,” he said. “I wasn’t afraid to ask questions. UCH staff did a great job of explaining the organization’s history and the senior living industry as well as the new challenges we were facing together.”
Darling said he was thankful to join a close-knit team with many new colleagues offering their help on any questions he had. Although the procurement department is small, they have a lot of knowledge between them. Darling joined Jennifer White, Jennifer Ramey and a contracted support team through UCH’s business spend management software.
UCH Core Value: Stewardship
With a long career in purchasing and supply chain management, Darling was already skilled at finding supplies for the best value, based on a combination of cost and quality, while also maintaining consistency. Despite being new to the healthcare industry, in the weeks leading up to the job change, Darling was confident he’d learn quickly.
However, he walked into a new job with an organization significantly impacted by the largest public health crisis in a century. UCH was also experiencing hardship related to stocking essential supplies, such as personal protective equipment, and simultaneous increased expenses.
“Other than World War II, there has never been anything like this in the lifetimes of the generations living through COVID-19 from a supply chain perspective,” Darling said. “But there are similarities. During the Second World War, factories jumped at the opportunity to accommodate war needs. Who would have thought that Ford Motor Company would ever be manufacturing respirators or that sewing factories would be making cloth masks?”
Demand for Healthcare Supplies
One of the biggest challenges during this pandemic has been the high demand for supplies that mitigate the risk of infection. This has led to skyrocketing prices for critical PPE, just one of many increased expenses for senior living communities on the front lines of the pandemic.
“If we want PPE – and we need it – we have to pay the current pricing,” Darling said. “The reality is, we’re in no different shape than many major hospitals in New York, Chicago and around the country. We’re all in the same situation – we need masks, and we need them now. We’ve done a good job of finding PPE, and our staff has been fully equipped throughout the pandemic.”
Creative Solutions
Purchasers must also get creative, Darling said, as they sought sources for three-ply surgical masks, surgical gowns and other supplies. Wait times for supplies have been much longer than anticipated. For example, UCH ordered 50,000 disposable surgical masks from three different companies in mid-March. The anticipated delivery time for each of the orders was two to three weeks, but UCH didn’t receive the entire stock for 10 weeks.
“When you realize so many companies need 50,000 masks, from one vendor’s perspective, you actually need millions of them,” Darling said. “Those don’t just materialize the next day. But everyone is in the same boat. Some supplies were not readily available. We’ve had to be patient, which is hard when there are critical needs. But we took it as it came. Although we were close, we never ran out of masks.
“We heard of major medical centers in New York City buying garbage bags by the pallet and for healthcare workers’ necks and arms to protect themselves. It never got to that point for United Church Homes, but we need continued advocacy for additional funding for PPE and COVID-19 tests.”
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About United Church Homes: United Church Homes is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of senior living and affordable housing for older adults, with over 75 communities in 14 states and two Native American nations. UCH is a faith-inspired organization in covenant with the United Church of Christ and welcomes residents of all faiths.
Media Contact: Alissa Paolella, communications coordinator, 740.382.4885 or apaolella@uchinc.org