Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) were one of the tragic hallmarks of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks, gloves and gowns were in such short supply in some healthcare facilities that front-line healthcare workers were forced to improvise their own. For some hospitals, PPE shortages are again top of mind.

California passed a law in September that requires its hospitals to maintain three-month stockpiles of new, unexpired and unused PPE starting in April, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. The law was created in response to widespread shortages of PPE that have put healthcare workers and patients at risk. But some smaller, rural hospitals are concerned they don't have the purchasing power or storage capacity to follow the new requirements. 

Under the law, hospitals must have the amount equal to "three months of normal consumption" on hand at all times starting April 1, 2021. Hospitals must provide the state's Occupational Safety and Health Administration records of their inventory upon request and report their highest seven-day consecutive daily average PPE consumption during 2019. 

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