Davids Tours Local Manufacturer, Shares Federal Recognition of PPE Equipment

Today, Representative Sharice Davids toured Dentec Safety Specialists in Lenexa, a local manufacturer that used federal funding to pivot their business from construction materials to needed medical supplies during the pandemic. Davids joined Dentec CEO Claudio Dente to highlight the recent FDA recognition of their reusable respirators as a "critical" innovation for healthcare workers, and share how her legislation, the SUPPLIES Act, would support small and mid-sized manufacturers like Dentec.

Dentec received $1.4 million in state and federal funding to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), thanks in part to funding secured by Davids through the CARES Act. With that support, Dentec was able to expand to the plant that Davids toured today and hire 5 times the workers they started with. They were also able to start production on a new category of respirator, which can replace disposable masks and last for many months in accordance with CDC guidelines. The FDA has now recognized this type of respirator as a critical innovation for healthcare personnel "to stay safe while saving lives."

"The designation of Dentec's elastomeric respirators provides national recognition of their work to boost domestic manufacturing and supply chains here in Kansas, and is precisely why I introduced the SUPPLIES Act," said Davids. "I've been glad to work with Dentec to make sure they have the necessary resources to produce this life-saving equipment, but to fully harness the power of our small businesses, we need legislation like the SUPPLIES Act. I'm going to keep pushing for policies to support businesses here at home."

"I appreciate Rep. Davids' help in securing federal funding that allowed us to ramp up production of our NIOSH-approved reusable elastomeric half mask respirator with an N95 and P100 filter and no exhalation valve. That funding ultimately led to the FDA announcement on the use of respirators like this for health care workers," said Claudio Dente, CEO of Dentec Safety Specialists. "We were able to hire more workers and expand by adding a second plant in Lenexa, and overall support domestic supply chains of these life-saving materials."

The SUPPLIES Act would create a $100 million grant program for small and medium manufacturers that shift their production to manufacture PPE and testing supplies during future public health emergencies. It would also prioritize manufacturing these supplies domestically, reducing our country's dependence on foreign countries for medical supplies and eliminating price gouging of life-saving materials. In April, Dente testified at a House Small Business Subcommittee hearing chaired by Davids examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small business supply chains, where he highlighted the importance of the SUPPLIES Act to businesses like his.