New Orleans-based Ochsner Health and its supply company, SafeSource Direct, teamed up with seven U.S.-based medical device manufacturers to form the American Medical Manufacturers Association.
The newly formed group aims to represent domestic companies that make personal protective equipment, according to a Feb. 8 news release from AMMA.
Members include Altor Safety, Aquaspersions USA, Blue Star NBR, Lutema, Premium-PPE, United Safety Technology and Vizient.
"For years now, China has been distributing cheaply made PPE — undercutting the success of U.S.-based manufacturers and suffocating the domestic market," the news release said. "AMMA aims to protect the health and security of Americans by ensuring a supply chain that is consistent with our values and resilient against disruptions from pandemics and other health threats. The U.S.'s public health supply chain must be ethical, equitable and better prepared for the future."
The announcement followed President Joe Biden's Feb. 7 State of the Union speech, which included calls for bolstering domestic manufacturing.