Intermountain's high-tech medical warehouse expected to lower costs, enhance patient care 2/3/15, 6:40 PM

Intermountain's high-tech medical warehouse expected to

lower costs, enhance patient care
By Marjorie Cortez , Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, Sept. 12 2012 7:37 p.m. MDT

MIDVALE — Intermountain Healthcare's new 327,000-square-foot

medical distribution center and warehouse is expected to streamline
operations, save time, money and energy.

But the ultimate goal of the Kem C. Gardner Supply Chain Center is
to improve patient care.

Workers organize product at
Intermountain Healthcare's Kem C.
Gardner Supply Chain Center, a
highly automated, 327,000-square-
foot medical distribution center and
warehouse in Midvale, on
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. (Jeffrey
D. Allred, Deseret News)
"A lot of this is getting nurses and clinic employees to spend more
time with patients by letting us do some of their front-end work,"
said Brent Johnson, vice president of Intermountain's supply chain
organization.
The facility will supply everything from suture kits to laptop
computers. The health care company spends some $1.3 billion a
year on supplies for its 23 hospitals, 160 clinics and home care
operations.

"No one buys as much stuff as us," Johnson said.

The goal of the operation is that an

order placed by the floor of a
hospital or a clinic at 3 p.m. one day
is in the hands of caregivers by 7
a.m. the following day, he said.

The facility, officially opened during

ceremonies Wednesday afternoon,
will house ordering, purchasing,
warehousing and distribution

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Intermountain's high-tech medical warehouse expected to lower costs, enhance patient care 2/3/15, 6:40 PM

functions for more than 5,000 types

of medical supplies. An estimated
2.5 million medical items are
expected to pass through the facility
each year.

The facility, which is highly

automated, will create about 40 new
jobs.

Located at 7302 S. Bingham

Junction Blvd., the facility was Workers organize product at Intermountain Healthcare's Kem C. Gardner
named for Gardner, a prominent Supply Chain Center, a highly automated, 327,000-square-foot medical
distribution center and warehouse in Midvale, on Wednesday, Sept. 12,
Salt Lake developer and co-founder 2012. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
of the The Boyer Co. Gardner served
as honorary chairman of Intermountain Healthcare from 2007 to 2012.

The warehouse and office facility is

centrally located to the majority of
Intermountain's hospitals and clinics.
In the event of a natural disaster,
delivery vehicles would have
immediate access to multiple
thoroughfares.

By purchasing supplies directly from

manufacturers, the facility should be
able to deliver needed items more
efficiently than waiting for deliveries
Brent Johnson, vice president of Intermountain Healthcare's supply chain from out-of-state vendors.
organization, guides a tour of the Kem C. Gardner Supply Chain Center, a
highly automated, 327,000-square-foot medical distribution center and
warehouse in Midvale, on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. (Jeffrey D. Allred,
Deseret News)
Richard Beach, director of materials
management, said the H1N1 flu pandemic revealed a glaring weakness in the nation's supply chain.

"Everyone in the country was after the same supplies," Beach said. "This puts us in control of our
own emergency plan."

Johnson said the self-distribution model is considered best practice in the health care industry.

"It provides exceptional efficiency,

cost savings, and provides an

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Intermountain's high-tech medical warehouse expected to lower costs, enhance patient care 2/3/15, 6:40 PM

additional safety net for our

communities if an emergency
situation arises," he said.

The facility was built to the same

seismic standards for hospitals such
as Intermountain Medical Center,
which will further enhance
deliveries in the event of an
emergency, Johnson said.

The facility is "green" in many
respects, he said. Large ceiling fans
move air in the warehouse and help
with energy management. Skylights
provide natural light.
A tour group looks over Intermountain Heathcare's Kem C. Gardner
Supply Chain Center, a highly automated, 327,000-square-foot medical
distribution center and warehouse in Midvale, on Wednesday, Sept. 12,
2012. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

Recycling systems are in place for all waste, although Beach said Intermountain has been working
with manufacturers to limit packaging materials as much as possible.

The warehouse is so energy efficient that there is only a 3-degree difference in temperatures from the
floor to the ceiling, Johnson said.

The Supply Chain Center is seeking LEED

(Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) certification.

E-mail: marjorie@desnews.com

Copyright 2014, Deseret News Publishing Company

Esther Iosua moves supplies at Intermountain Healthcare's Kem C.

Gardner Supply Chain Center, a highly automated, 327,000-square-
foot medical distribution center and warehouse in Midvale, on
Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)

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