Personal Protective Equipment

Health care workers rely on personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, surgical/face masks, N95 respirators, face shields, goggles, gowns, and coveralls to safeguard themselves and their patients against the spread of infectious disease or illness. HHS/ASPR’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is the nation’s largest repository of emergency medical and pandemic response supplies to ensure that health care workers are equipped with the PPE they need to slow the spread of infection. When states, tribal nations, large metropolitan areas and territories cannot meet their PPE needs from their own stockpiles or from the commercial market, they can request SNS assets, specifically PPE for use by health care workers.

For questions on PPE, please contact the SNS Operations Center at sns.ops@hhs.gov.