CHESAPEAKE, Va. — A Scott Taylor political advertisement says Taylor “secured life-saving PPE” for Sentara hospitals, at a time when there was a national shortage of personal protective equipment.
In an April 19 tweet, former representative and current candidate Scott Taylor posted that he played a “tiny part” in securing 50 tons of PPE.
So what role did Taylor play?
Sentara Healthcare spokesperson Dale Gauding said Taylor introduced hospital leaders to leaders of Regulus Global, a Virginia Beach supply chain and logistics company.
“Scott Taylor’s role in this was to help us make a connection with Regulus Global, which turned out to be very fortuitous because Regulus Global went across to China and got us what we needed,” Gauding said.
Gauding said Sentara paid about $30 million for the PPE, including gowns and digital thermometers. Some of that PPE supply is still stored at Sentara’s warehouse in Chesapeake.
Gauding said there was a national shortage of PPE at that time and Regulus Global was able to bypass the traditional supply chain system.
“It put us in the position of being comfortable with what we had,” Gauding said. “I don’t know what role Mr. Taylor played beyond getting Sentara connected to Regulus Global.”
Regulus Global CEO Will Somerindyke said Taylor did a little more than just introductions, helping with contacts and planning.
“He played a role as an advisor and a strategic thinker throughout the whole process as things came up,” Somerindyke said.
Somerindyke said Taylor was not paid or contracted for his help. Federal Election Commission data shows Somerindyke donated $5,600 to Scott Taylor’s 2020 campaign on January 31.
In a statement, Scott Taylor said: “Securing urgently needed PPE required the triage of a reputable overseas supplier, a local distributor to get gear into the hands of those who needed it most, and a logistics solution to get the equipment stateside…I was happy to bring an effective team together to get things done for our community during our time of need.”