Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of COVID-19
Health Department Given Authority to Allocate COVID-19 Medical Supplies
What it does
The order directs agencies to allow the Health Department to set national priorities and allocate COVID-19 medical resources.
Real-world impact
- Enables Health Department to control distribution of personal protective equipment and ventilators.
- May require manufacturers to prioritize government orders over other contracts.
- Creates rules and orders affecting hospitals, distributors, and state responders.
Topics
Summary
This order gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the President's authority under the Defense Production Act to set nationwide priorities and allocate health and medical resources to respond to COVID-19. It names personal protective equipment and ventilators as examples and allows the Department of Health and Human Services to control distribution in the civilian market.
Hospitals, healthcare workers, manufacturers, distributors, and state and local responders are affected because the order aims to direct scarce supplies to where they are needed most and lets the Department issue orders and rules to implement allocations.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”