State officials, hospitals turn away masks imported from China despite 'shortage of PPE'

WAUKESHA -- State officials say there is a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers. So why are they turning down respirators imported from China?

"We still do not have enough PPE to keep all our workers safe," said Gov. Tony Evers recently.

"We do have a shortage of PPE in Wisconsin," said Andrea Palm, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Designee.

As state leaders plead for PPE and hospitals begin sterilizing used equipment, millions of never-used N95-style face masks are sitting in China. Will Komassa is trying to get them here.

Will Komassa

"It seems like no one else in the world can get 'em. So we're gonna get 'em," Komassa told FOX6 News.

Earlier this month, Komassa ordered tens of thousands of face masks. But Wisconsin hospitals and state health officials say they do not want them.

"Doesn't make any sense to me," Komassa said.

Komassa is the owner of Blizzard Lighting in Waukesha -- which makes and sells lighting equipment and video displays for the entertainment industry.

"Our business is off about, I would say, between 90 and 95 percent from a year ago," Komassa said.

Komassa routinely imports products from China. So when he heard this...

"If we could have one wish, it would be that. That we could have no shortage," said Dr. Ryan Westergaard, DHS Chief Medical Officer.

Komassa saw an opportunity.

"Look, we can't donate the stuff to you. We can sell it for a couple of cents over cost, and we do have 25 people we're trying to keep employed," Komassa said.

On March 21, Komassa reached out to Froedtert Hospital.

"They were looking pretty much for donations only," Komassa said,

On April 5, Komassa approached Advocate Aurora. On April 6, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services got a call from Komassa. All of them turned him down.

"Kind of an obtuse rationale that they're not hospital grade," Komassa said.

According to a technical bulletin issued by 3M earlier this year, Chinese-made respirators are "reasonable to consider" as equivalent to U.S.-made N95s. But state officials only want masks that are FDA-approved and NIOSH-certified. Two hospitals told FOX6 News that they have enough.

Bob Scheuer

"Our needs are not desperate," said Bob Scheuer, supply chain director for UW Health.

UW Health is beginning to sterilize face masks for reuse.

"It's not ideal, it's not best practice, it's not standard of care," Andrea Palm said.

But Scheuer said that is just in case there is a second wave.

"As long as we don't see a second influx of patients, we should be fine," Scheuer said.

Advocate Aurora said they have enough to meet their current needs -- and they are no longer asking the public to donate masks of any kind. It turns out, hospitals do not allow frontline workers to wear masks they have been asking the public to make. Instead, they give those masks to visitors.

"We do not use them in any sort of clinical aspect whatsoever.," Scheuer said.

In other words, there is no PPE shortage -- at least not the kind of shortage Komassa thought he was helping to relieve.

Earlier this month, Komassa started listing his imported N95-style masks for sale to the general public. He said most of the buyers have been health care workers of their family members. But after a series of delays in China, Komassa is still waiting for the first shipment to arrive.