South Carolina Health System
Hurricane Hits, Network Responds
When nature strikes, patient care must carry on. Hurricane Helene and the value of a robust supply chain infrastructure.
Customer Profile
Customer Profile
Multi-hospital health system providing acute and specialty care across South Carolina communities.
The Challenge
In September 2024, Hurricane Helene forced a Baxter manufacturing facility offline.
Nationwide IV fluid shortages followed immediately. Hospitals in the network faced critical inventory gaps in essential consumables for patient care.
The primary vendor was compromised. Patient treatment capacity was threatened across the system. The supply chain needed to bounce back rapidly.
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Solutions
- Activating a proprietary network of specialty suppliers – Cato is connected with vendors that most health systems don’t reach. We access allocation and contracts unavailable through traditional healthcare distribution relationships and GPOs.
- Diversifying access across unaffected supply channels – Our network, offering domestic and international alternatives, mitigated regional supply bottlenecks.
- Coordinating truckload-volume fulfillment for system-level demand – Cato managed bulk deliveries beyond individual facility order processing.
- Mobilizing specialty suppliers during peak shortage periods – Our platform reacted by deploying direct sourcing when hospitals needed volume the most.
Results
Patient treatment capacity was maintained system-wide.
Full truckloads of IV fluids delivered.
24-hour turnaround from RFQ to purchase order.
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Results
0 case delays or patient monitoring gaps reported.
1-week turnaround from RFQ to delivery.
Over 13,000 sensors and pulse oximeters delivered to support 13 hospitals.
Results
Cato provided available options 48-hours after RFQ received.
60% exact matches, 28% functionally equivalent substitutes.
274 of 311 SKUs with confirmed options available (88% coverage).
Results
Patient care was maintained without interruption.
Upon PO receipt, shipments were dispatched the same or next day.
13 critical SKUs were shipped within 5 hours of request.
