Personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer American PAPR LLC  is ramping up manufacturing of respirators across its 17-state supply chain in answer the Biden Administration’s call to buy American. Created in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company says it is eager to contribute to the Strategic National Stockpile to ensure that healthcare workers and first responders are fully prepared and protected.

The FELIX-200 provides a minimum of 99.97% filter efficiency against airborne particles. It has received full NIOSH approval under Federal Regulations for Public Health Title 42, Part 84.

Responding to President Biden’s proposed Buy American rule, American PAPR CEO Giles says, “The Administration’s effort to increase American-Made products in our critical supply chains is the right one, particularly as it works to revamp the Strategic National Stockpile. But if we are going to meet the moment, we must go beyond U.S.-produced vehicles and furniture — we desperately need durable PPE that is made to the highest standard, and this is simply not equipment we can get from Chinese manufacturers. In this push to support American suppliers, the Administration must prioritize our healthcare heroes.”

While the Biden Administration is already buying American through key agencies such as DOD and DOE, HHS was conspicuously missing from the President's July 27 Buy America announcement.

“American businesses with local supply chains are key to both becoming independent from unreliable partners and strengthening our healthcare supply chain,” Kyser says. “The time to prepare is now. In order to adequately respond to the new variants, our healthcare heroes need to be protected - and that means sourcing durable PPE right here at home.”

American PAPR’s FELIX-200 powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is fully NIOSH-approved, engineered to provide the highest level of respiratory protection against viral diseases, and designed with a loose-fitting face mask that doesn’t require fit testing. In 2020, their original PAPR, the FELIX-100, was deployed to medical facilities in dire need across the country in response to the initial surge.

American PAPR’s 17-state fully domestic supply chain provides the manufacturer with the capacity to scale manufacturing to meet expanded demand. In addition to the loose-fitting hood, each FELIX-200 PAPR uses a battery-powered blower and custom filter that supplies the user with clean air, filtering out 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants.