In partnership with Medical News, Health Enterprises Network brings you HealthConomy a podcast where the top health care leaders in the region share their stories and we explore the history of the development of healthcare businesses in our region.

Many people know UPS for their brown trucks and world-wide airline fleet shipping packages across the world. However, UPS also has a significant healthcare operation, where they ship fragile biologics that have to be stored below freezing or help make sure surgeons have access to the sterilized tools they need to save lives. UPS Healthcare is a hidden gem here in Louisville that quite literally ensures our healthcare system runs. 

This month host Ben Keeton talked to Warren Olson, vice president of Healthcare Distribution Operations at UPS, who is responsible for the distribution operations for 54 pharmaceutical, medical device and invitro diagnostics companies operating across 2.5 million square feet of healthcare compliant space, to learn a little more about their work.

During the podcast, Olson describes why UPS decided to get into the healthcare business. According to Olson, in the late 1990s UPS acquired Livingston Healthcare, a company that had distribution warehouses, as well as front and back of the office services for clients. UPS continued to add warehouses to the network and started focusing on individual segments, such as healthcare, creating value added solutions to sub-segments such as implantable medical devices, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and laboratory services. After time spent completing market research, collaborating with clients and growing the healthcare segment, UPS Healthcare was launched in January of 2020.

Olson said, “UPS quickly realized the healthcare market had specific regulations, different from other products, requiring a unified strategy, significant investments and dedicated healthcare assets. UPS put highly trained salesforce and operations force in place and a visionary leadership to make sure we could execute and implement the strategy.”

Olson also discusses specialized treatments such as cold chain solutions, storage and the role UPS will play in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. UPS leadership has been working with the federal government on Operation Warp Speed, which aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021.  Olson said, “We are at the tip of the spear where the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned and will play a large role in the distribution of vaccines when they are ready. We have a global reach that other companies do not.”

Listen to the podcast online at healthconomy.podbean.com.