Wolf, Cuomo join other governors in efforts for covid-19 equipment

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and governors from six other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states Sunday pledged to join forces to build the manufacturing capacity to make coronavirus testing kits, personal protective equipment and ventilators to protect the health care system in the fight against covid-19.

“By working together we can combine our strengths to build the capacities we all need. We can exploit our market size to encourage producers to make what we need, we can exploit our financial strength to give that encouragement added weight, and we can exploit the great research institutions and the brainpower in our region to increase our chances of success,” Wolf said in a phone conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, during the New York governor’s press conference.

The Pennsylvania governor joined Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Delaware Gov. John Carney, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker in unveiling a joint multi-state agreement to develop the regional supply chain.

That joint action is expected to reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain, so that states are not battling each other for critical supplies, thus driving up the prices.

By working together, they can create the capacity to meet the needs of the health care system, the health care workers and first responders, better than they can do it on their own, Wolf said. The governor said it is critical for the reopening of the economies of the states to instill confidence in people that they can safely return to work and to reopen the schools.

Representatives from Pittsburgh-based UPMC and Allegheny Health Network and Excela Health in Greensburg, have stated they do not have a shortage of protective equipment.

While the states will continue to partner with the federal government during this global and national public health crisis, they will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for these products, aggregate demand among the states, reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain.

The states will also coordinate policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state’s health care infrastructure should have to be prepared for a possible second wave of covid-19, as has been predicted by federal health care officials.

Policies are to be coordinated in regards to what supplies local governments should have on hand for first responders, and if any requirements regarding PPE for non-profits and the private sector are needed.