How Global Sourcing Provided Broward County, FL With PPE to Protect Essential Staff From COVID-19

“Without your tireless efforts, we would not be able to continue to fight against coronavirus. Every mask, glove, cleaning agent, etc. that you have provided helped essential staff mitigate this global pandemic in our own backyard.”

 Brenda Billingsley

Director of Purchasing

About Global Sourcing

With 35 years of experience, Global Sourcing has protected 40 million people by procuring and delivering hundreds of millions of highly-coveted PPE products. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, when the demand for PPE hit an all-time high, Global Sourcing was able to depend on a trusted manufacturing network and an expansive logistics and transportation teams to provide:

  • Face masks
  • Gloves
  • Sanitizer
  • Thermometers
  • Gowns
  • Safety eyewear

Introduction to Broward County, Florida

With a population of 1,952,778 inhabitants, Broward County is the second-most populous county in the state of Florida and the 17th-most populous county in the United States. Broward County officials work closely with the Florida Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Governor's office, and the Florida Department of Emergency Management to help residents, visitors, and employees weather the coronavirus pandemic.

Broward County’s Challenge

As was the case for most counties during the early stages of the pandemic, Broward County, FL was ill-prepared for a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. According to the Sun-Sentinel on April 4th, “the lack of supplies for medical professionals threatens to cripple Florida’s response to the pandemic. Too many doctors and nurses say they lack the protective equipment they need to avoid getting sick themselves.” As the situation escalated, Broward County needed PPE supplies as soon as possible. Additionally, an Associated Press investigation found many of the masks coming into the country to be counterfeits — as were millions of medical masks, gloves, gowns, and other supplies being used in hospitals across the country, putting lives at risk.

Global Sourcing Solutions

The director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Jared Moskowitz, directed Global Sourcing to Broward County due to an increase in coronavirus cases. With the domestic product on hand, Global Sourcing was able to transport 100,000 FDA approved and CE Certified masks in 5 days. However, with all the confusion and chaos transpiring during that hectic time in April, Broward County was not able to locate the shipment. Fortunately, Global Sourcing was able to procure 100,000 more masks and have them delivered one day later. Since then, the county has ordered another 10,000 reusable masks with PM 2.5 Filters and 5,000 tubs of 160-count EPA List N disinfectant wipes.

The Result

Even with the mishap involving the temporarily misplaced shipment, Global Sourcing was able to procure and deliver 100,000 FDA approved and CE Certified masks to Broward County, FL in about one week. The 5,639 full-time healthcare workers in Broward County who lacked supplies now have the necessary masks, gloves, cleaning agents, and other PPE to protect themselves as they fight against the coronavirus.