April 3, 2020
Mask shortages are outrageous. The federal government needs to do better
By Dr. John R. Balmes
Director of the Center of Occupational and Environmental Health
Published on The Washington Post on April 2, 2020
As hospitals and care facilities nationwide struggle to find appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for their workers, pulmonary and critical care specialist Dr. John R. Balmes highlights the severity of the shortage of N95 respirators throughout the covid-19 pandemic. He writes, "Not only do we need to keep the health-care workforce on the job to treat the rest of the population, there is a moral imperative to provide a safe workplace, especially in the context of a deadly viral pandemic."