While there is a strategic national stockpile of masks, gloves and other equipment that the U.S. government controls — but no one actually knows, beyond that stockpile, what's already out there in the private sector, according to an article on the NPR website.
Some hospitals don’t have enough, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working on a system that would track the inventory across the U.S.
The issue is getting hospitals comfortable sharing information about their preparedness — information that, until now, they have considered confidential.
At this point, the CDC says there's no mandate for hospitals to participate.
Barriers to Infection: Rethinking Mattress Cleaning
Over 1 Million Individuals Affected in Community Health Center Data Breach
Prospect Medical Holdings to Sell Crozer Health to Non-Profit Consortium
The Top States for Pest Infestations
Ground Broken on Wichita Biomedical Campus Project