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Scramble for medical equipment descends into chaos as U.S. states, hospitals compete
I started this in LBN before I saw the timestamp.
Scramble for medical equipment descends into chaos as U.S. states, hospitals compete
Link to tweet
Business
Scramble for medical equipment descends into chaos as U.S. states and hospitals compete for rare supplies
With prices rising and supplies uncertain, governors and health-care officials are urging the Trump administration to use the Defense Production Act to bring order
By Jeanne Whalen, Tony Romm, Aaron Gregg and Tom Hamburger
March 24, 2020 at 8:08 p.m. EDT
A mad scramble for masks, gowns and ventilators is pitting states against each other and driving up prices. Some hard-hit parts of the country are receiving fresh supplies of N95 masks, but others are still out of stock. Hospitals are requesting donations of masks and gloves from construction companies, nail salons and tattoo parlors, and considering using ventilators designed for large animals because they cannot find the kind made for people.
The market for medical supplies has descended into chaos, according to state officials and health-care leaders. They are begging the federal government to use a wartime law to bring order and ensure the United States has the gear it needs to battle the coronavirus. So far, the Trump administration has declined.
“I can’t find any more equipment. It’s not a question of money,” said New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whose state is battling the nation’s worst outbreak. “We need the federal help and we need the federal help now.”
{snip}
Bayard Winthrop, founder of the clothing company American Giant, said the mask-sewing effort required a complete retooling of the company’s manufacturing lines in North Carolina, which typically make T-shirts and sweatshirts.
The company has stopped production of much of its normal clothing, he said. “It’s been very disruptive but also an easy decision to make,” he said. “The message we are getting out of Navarro’s office is, make as many as you can, as fast as you can, as long as you can.”
Winthrop said he is “honored” to help health-care workers. But he added: “I don’t think American Giant ought to be in the mask-producing business. I think it’s crazy we are in this situation and I hope it is causing all of us to ask the question, why we have so thoroughly lost the ability to make things in this country.”
Jeanne Whalen
Jeanne Whalen is a reporter covering business around the world. She previously reported for the Wall Street Journal from New York, London and Moscow. Follow https://twitter.com/JeanneWhalen
Tony Romm
Tony Romm is a technology policy reporter at The Washington Post. He has spent nearly ten years covering the ways that tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google navigate the corridors of government -- and the regulations that sometimes result. Follow https://twitter.com/tonyromm
Aaron Gregg
Aaron Gregg covers the defense industry and government contractors for the Washington Post's business section. Follow https://twitter.com/Post_AG
Tom Hamburger
Tom Hamburger is an investigative reporter on the national desk of The Washington Post. He has covered the White House, Congress and regulatory agencies, with a focus on money and politics. Follow https://twitter.com/thamburger
Scramble for medical equipment descends into chaos as U.S. states and hospitals compete for rare supplies
With prices rising and supplies uncertain, governors and health-care officials are urging the Trump administration to use the Defense Production Act to bring order
By Jeanne Whalen, Tony Romm, Aaron Gregg and Tom Hamburger
March 24, 2020 at 8:08 p.m. EDT
A mad scramble for masks, gowns and ventilators is pitting states against each other and driving up prices. Some hard-hit parts of the country are receiving fresh supplies of N95 masks, but others are still out of stock. Hospitals are requesting donations of masks and gloves from construction companies, nail salons and tattoo parlors, and considering using ventilators designed for large animals because they cannot find the kind made for people.
The market for medical supplies has descended into chaos, according to state officials and health-care leaders. They are begging the federal government to use a wartime law to bring order and ensure the United States has the gear it needs to battle the coronavirus. So far, the Trump administration has declined.
“I can’t find any more equipment. It’s not a question of money,” said New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whose state is battling the nation’s worst outbreak. “We need the federal help and we need the federal help now.”
{snip}
Bayard Winthrop, founder of the clothing company American Giant, said the mask-sewing effort required a complete retooling of the company’s manufacturing lines in North Carolina, which typically make T-shirts and sweatshirts.
The company has stopped production of much of its normal clothing, he said. “It’s been very disruptive but also an easy decision to make,” he said. “The message we are getting out of Navarro’s office is, make as many as you can, as fast as you can, as long as you can.”
Winthrop said he is “honored” to help health-care workers. But he added: “I don’t think American Giant ought to be in the mask-producing business. I think it’s crazy we are in this situation and I hope it is causing all of us to ask the question, why we have so thoroughly lost the ability to make things in this country.”
Jeanne Whalen
Jeanne Whalen is a reporter covering business around the world. She previously reported for the Wall Street Journal from New York, London and Moscow. Follow https://twitter.com/JeanneWhalen
Tony Romm
Tony Romm is a technology policy reporter at The Washington Post. He has spent nearly ten years covering the ways that tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google navigate the corridors of government -- and the regulations that sometimes result. Follow https://twitter.com/tonyromm
Aaron Gregg
Aaron Gregg covers the defense industry and government contractors for the Washington Post's business section. Follow https://twitter.com/Post_AG
Tom Hamburger
Tom Hamburger is an investigative reporter on the national desk of The Washington Post. He has covered the White House, Congress and regulatory agencies, with a focus on money and politics. Follow https://twitter.com/thamburger
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