Gelok, in association with Principle Business Enterprises, Inc., remains in operation during the COVID-19 crisis.
PRINCIPLE BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, INC. IS A NATIONAL MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR OF MEDICALLY IMPORTANT SUPPLIES TO SUPPORT HEALTHCARE FACILITIES.
Principle Business Enterprises, Inc. (“PBE”) has provided medically important products to hospitals, healthcare facilities, long-term care facilities and other similar institutions with high quality incontinence and associated medical supply products for over fifty years. Part of our success is attributed to our partnership with the federal government (specifically the Department of Veterans Affairs) via VA FSS # V797D-50560 and our current DAPA #VA119-18-PA-0110-0003. We fully expect that the federal government will look to PBE in this time of critical need for the provisioning of our products.
To that end, on March 19, federal HHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs released
federal guidance to state and local officials on the identification of essential critical infrastructure workers during the COVID-19
response. In this document, the federal government has identified 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, economic security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof. You may find this document here: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce.
Among the 16 sectors that CISA has identified as essential critical infrastructure are:
- Health Care/Public Health. This includes: Manufacturers, technicians, logistics and warehouse operators, and distributors of medical equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), medical gases, pharmaceuticals, blood and blood products, vaccines, testing materials, laboratory supplies, cleaning, sanitizing disinfecting or sterilization supplies, and tissue and paper towel products.
- Critical Manufacturing. This includes: Workers necessary for the manufacturing of materials and products needed for medical supply chains, transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture, chemical manufacturing, nuclear facilities, the operation of dams, water and wastewater treatment, emergency services, and the defense industrial base.
In addition, consistent with Ohio Governor Dewine’s March 22, 2020 Director’s Stay At Home Order, PBE’s production of our critically needed healthcare product is: a Healthcare and Public Health Operation (Section 7); and an Essential Business/Operation (Section 12(a),(q), and (v)). Therefore, during the effective date of the above-referenced Order (and beyond), we will continue our efforts to support those in need of our products.
With the COVID-19 epidemic imposing an immediate need for critical medical products, it is vital that PBE continue to produce its high-quality, essential medical supplies. To maintain a safe working environment for our associates during this period of time, PBE has taken the following actions:
- Third-party janitorial service implementing added cleaning measures to disinfect the workplace
- Education regarding COVID-19 symptoms and best practices regarding communicable disease prevention
- All associates experiencing flu-like symptoms are required to stay home and we accommodate this action with enhanced leave policies
- Office associates moved to virtual office environments, utilizing computer-based meetings
- Revised corporate travel policies to minimize unnecessary exposure
- Enforcing CDC guidelines relative to social distancing
- Ongoing communication of contingency plans to associates
Should you have questions about the content of this document, please contact Tricia Bell, General Counsel, at tbell@pbenet.com. We appreciate the opportunity to support the healthcare community and our customers and will be steadfast in our efforts for our associates
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