The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has launched a new emergency supply warehouse designed to improve the state’s readiness and response during public health emergencies.

The 75,000-square-foot facility, located in Franklin, became operational on July 1.

Built for scalability and speed, the warehouse offers more than 4,000 pallet positions and stores over 21 million individual medical items, including personal protective equipment, wound care supplies, and temperature-sensitive products. A 1,000-square-foot cold-chain storage area supports refrigerated medical inventory, and a 10-bay loading dock is in place to streamline high-volume distribution.
The site is directly connected to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s warehouse and situated at the intersection of Interstates 495 and 90, allowing for rapid deployment across the state. The facility is also equipped with modern security systems and inventory tracking technologies.

State officials and emergency preparedness leaders toured the site during a formal unveiling earlier this month.

“This warehouse is so much more than just shelves of materials, equipment, and supplies — it represents resilience, readiness, and a collective commitment to respond quickly and fully to care for our communities when disaster strikes,” said secretary of health and human services Kiame Mahaniah, M.D., MBA.

Public health commissioner Robbie Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., emphasized that the facility reflects decades of experience responding to local and statewide crises.

“We have learned critical lessons from each of these disasters and other emergencies, large and small,” Goldstein said. “This warehouse embodies that action — that commitment — and it allows us to stand with our healthcare and public health partners and be ready for the next crisis we will inevitably face together.”

The unveiling coincides with National Preparedness Month, which encourages individuals and communities to plan ahead for emergencies.

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