Ensuring a Safe & Continuous Chain of Service

Ensuring a Safe & Continuous Chain of Service

Headquartered in Cambridge, MD, with offices in Maryland, Florida and Utah, Safe Chain Solutions is a national Wholesale Pharmaceutical Distributor providing pharmaceuticals and health care products to a network of healthcare facilities nationwide.

Planning to Pivot in a Pandemic
When Safe Chain Solutions CEO Charlie Boyd began hearing that their hospital customers needed supply chain help, he realized that the coronavirus was going to be a very serious situation. With essential PPE (personal protective equipment) shortages looming, he and his team had to rapidly develop and operationalize a plan.

“Like most everyone, our first priority is protecting our employees,” Boyd said. “We developed a work from home and on-site operations plan in less than three days.”

Most employees conducted business from home while the balance (about 25%) are essential to site operations and continued to work from their Cambridge headquarters. Charlie explained their re-entry plan. 

“We have slowly brought people back on a voluntary basis. I am extremely proud of how everyone has responded to this. It’s a testament to the true grit we have as an organization.”

As their team quickly adjusted to the new environment, Safe Chain maintained continuity of service while meeting increased customer demands. As a wholesale distributor they provide a comprehensive range of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products to retail pharmacies, hospitals, surgery centers, urgent cares, specialty pharmacies, physicians, and government managed facilities.

“Operationally, we have been extremely busy with all of the increased demand in our industry,” he noted.

To meet the rapid business challenges the pandemic posed, Safe Chain also increased their product offerings. For example, customers who once only ordered pharmaceuticals from the company started requesting PPE items.

“We always distributed medical supplies but on a limited scale. We’ve now opened up direct manufacturing accounts to help supply the critical PPE items to our customers on the front lines.”

Linking Core Values with Operations & Community
Safe Chain’s core values guide the company’s social responsibility practices. They have tried in numerous ways to help support the local community during the pandemic. From large donations of PPE items for Eastern Shore EMS units and providing free masks for employees’ families, to creating a flexible work from home policy, the company’s commitment to community has been front and center.

For Safe Chain, Covid-19’s impact underscores the need for empathy, community and flexibility.

“The most important thing we have learned is to over communicate and be flexible with employees. Now more than ever we all need to be there for each other so it’s important as an employer to show employees we are.”