Hal Muller of Henry Schein Elected to Co-Chair Healthcare Sector Coordinating Council

MELVILLE, N.Y. - Henry Schein, Inc., the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, has announced that Hal Muller, Vice President and General Manager of Special Markets for Henry Schein, has been elected Co-Chair of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s HealthCare Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC) for a two-year term, and has been reelected head of the Medical Materials sub-council for a second consecutive one-year term.

Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7 encourages the creation of an independent self-governed sector coordinating council for 17 critical sectors of the U.S. economy, including healthcare. The HSCC includes nearly 120 representatives of the companies, organizations, trade associations, and professional societies that either own and operate or play a critical role in ensuring the continuity of the nation’s healthcare system.

The mission of the HSCC is to coordinate plans, policy advice, and actions to preserve and restore the critical functions of the nation’s healthcare delivery system and to support effective emergency preparedness and response to all hazards, including natural and manmade disasters. As a result, the HSCC will assist in the creation and updating of the National Response Plan and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, and will establish an HSCC plan for keeping the healthcare sector operating in the time of emergency. Other HSCC committees include HealthCare Personnel; Insurers; Payers; HMOs; Information Technology; Laboratories and Blood; Mass Fatality Services; Medical Treatment; Occupational Health; and Pharma/Biotech.

“We are very proud to have a Team Schein Member in a role of such strategic importance, and can think of no one more qualified than Hal for this responsibility,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Henry Schein. “His election underscores the vital role of the distributor in the healthcare continuum, and we look forward to working with others in the public and private sectors in supporting the recommendations of the HSCC.”