No. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. ... "We are the last major domestic mask … Bowen said he could ramp up production to make an additional 1.7 million N95 masks per week. MICHAEL BOWEN: I'm one of the most well-known mask makers out there, and I'm hearing crickets. "We are the last major domestic mask company," he wrote on Jan. 23, according to the Post. MICHAEL BOWEN: I get maybe 3 to 400 emails a day. And then we nearly went bankrupt afterward. That is the largest manufacturer of surgical face masks here in the U.S. These masks have been in high demand since the pandemic hit. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, National Infertility Awareness Week: Inside America's infertility problem, Japan urges release of journalist in Myanmar. It's hospitals and hospital distributors and dental distributors. "Reactivating these machines would be very difficult and very expensive but could be achieved in a dire situation," he wrote. Release Calendar DVD & Blu-ray Releases Top Rated Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Showtimes & Tickets In Theaters Coming … Bright filed a formal whistleblower complaint with the Office of Special Counsel, saying he was demoted for trying to "prioritize science and safety over political expediency.". BOWEN: Yeah, and training. Bowen’s medical supply company, Prestige Ameritech, could ramp up production to make an additional 1.7 million N95 masks a week. I hope so. The head of the Ft. Worth-based company, Michael Bowen, wrote to HHS on January 23, two days after the U.S. confirmed its first case of Covid-19. Michael – This is the best piece you have written by far (that I’ve read). So we ended up having to lay off all of those people, and it was a very brutal situation. The push from Bright came months before the U.S. would begin to see shortages of masks and other protective equipment in hospitals across the country. ... "We are the last major domestic mask … I'm just letting you know that I can help you preserve our infrastructure if things ever get really bad. I think since everybody ignored it - I mean, reporters ignored it. The exchange was mentioned in the the 89-page whistleblower report from Rick Bright, the former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority who was ousted from his role in late April amid the coronavirus pandemic. It's building machines. We built machines. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. "I don't believe we as a government are anywhere near answering those questions for you yet," Laura Wolf, director of the agency's Division of Critical Infrastructure Protection, responded the same day Prestige inquired about its stockpile, according to the Post. ... “We are the last major domestic mask … We haven't done business with the federal government since 2010. Michael L. Bowen Good morning. And I suppose I'm asking in part because we keep... KELLY: It's all private customers, hospitals and so forth. It was Jan. 22, a day after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the United States, and orders were pouring into Michael Bowen’s company outside … "My phones are ringing now, so I don't 'need' government business. So for our company, ramping up past a certain point becomes a suicide mission. You were left with - what? The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) turned down an opportunity to access millions of U.S.-manufactured N95 masks in January, according to The Washington Post. He is an actor, known for The Last House on the Left (2009), Kill Bill: Vol. Bowen said at the time he offered to begin mass producing N95 masks for the federal government, he was selling them for 79 cents each. The head of the Fort Worth-based company, Michael Bowen, wrote to HHS on Jan. 23, two days after the U.S. confirmed its first case of COVID-19. It's hiring people. BOWEN: Well, what happened is we rose to the occasion. He told HHS that his company had four "like-new" manufacturing lines in an email, according to the newspaper. He told me his company has dramatically ramped up production as factories elsewhere in the world idle. BOWEN: I just want to help. He viewed the shrinking domestic production of medical masks … Michael Bowen was born on June 21, 1953 in Houston, Texas, USA as Michael Alexander Bowen. No, no, no. All rights reserved. It was Jan. 22, and orders for masks were pouring into Michael Bowen's medical supply company outside Fort Worth. I think the difference now is since this is so much worse, I'm hopeful that it will be different. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. That's according to a new watchdog report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services. Our government ignored it. He's co-owner and executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech, the country's largest domestic manufacturer of facemasks. Michael Bowen, who owns the company, told HHS his company was receiving various requests from private entities but would be willing to set masks aside for the government. KELLY: I have to note that for a man whose business is booming, you know, you sound angry. It's training people. I just want to help everybody. On January 22, Michael Bowen, owner of the largest surgical mask and respirator manufacturer Prestige Ameritech, wrote an email to top officials … That is the largest manufacturer of surgical face masks here in the U.S. Everybody ignored it. He is best known for portraying Nicolas Cage 's romantic rival, Tommy in the cult classic Valley Girl (1983), Danny Pickett on the ABC series Lost and Jack Welker on the AMC series Breaking Bad . Emails obtained by the Post show Bright unsuccessfully pressed Robert Kadlec, the assistant secretary for preparedness and emergency response, and other agency leaders on the issue of mask shortages, including Bowen's proposal specifically. It was Jan. 22, a day after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the United States, and orders were pouring into Michael Bowen’s company outside … BOWEN: Well, I think so. It takes a long time to build the machines, and this is a temporary situation. KELLY: This is a very basic question, but why can't you ramp up really quickly, really fast? Michael Bowen, who owns the company, told HHS his company was receiving various requests from private entities but would be willing to set masks aside for … The head of Prestige Ameritech, Michael Bowen, offered to use four of their dormant production lines to produce as many as seven million masks per month. MIke Bowen, owner of Prestige Ameritech, is testifying on Capitol Hill today about how his company tried to warn federal officials that there was a need to stockpile N-95 masks … You know, we did this 10 years ago during H1N1, and we hired a lot of people and ramped up. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Mike Bowen, whose company Prestige Ameritech makes surgical masks in Texas, about why he's unhappy about the flood of orders coming in for his product. So I'm over my anger. BOWEN: Because in a pandemic, the government of every country is going to take care of their own people. Michael Bowen is co-owner and executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech. You ramped up. Hospitals were calling. Prestige Ameritech … My name is Michael Bowen and I am the Executive Vice President of Prestige Ameritech of North Richland Hills, Texas. Accuracy and availability may vary. Michael Bowen, Actor: The Last House on the Left. More than 10,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States, and as the pandemic spreads, hospitals around the country still don't have the protective gear they need to keep workers safe. Congressional members told Bowen … All the mask companies in the world can't meet the demand by any stretch. Michael Bowen told Congress years of what he calls "chasing pennies to China" buying cheaper masks from foreign suppliers had put the country in a bind during the pandemic. We laid off 150 people and nearly went out of business. Pandemic experts ignored it. KELLY: What percentage of your orders come from the federal government? BOWEN: That's the problem. - a huge surplus of masks that you couldn't sell? Executive Vice President Michael Bowen noted that in the event of a "dire situation", his company could increase production by 1.7 million N95 masks per week by reactivating four N95 manufacturing lines in "like-new" condition at significant cost, but would require a major financial commitment from the … I know you wrote President Obama before him, warning that it wasn't going to be if but when that there would be another... KELLY: ...Epidemic and that the U.S. suppliers would come up short, that there had to be a better domestic supply chain, which is obviously not where we find ourselves. Hospitals ignored it. BOWEN: Yeah. This is a question of specialized equipment? You know, I have been off and on. 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