Owner David Hartz holds up packages of adult KN95 masks planned for donation to the Chamber of Commerce Thursday afternoon at Book 'N' Brush in Chehalis.
Chehalis art supply and bookstore Book ‘N’ Brush was hit with criticism on social media after posting KN95 masks for sale to the public on its Facebook page Thursday afternoon.
The KN95 is a Chinese variant of the N95 masks, which are the standard U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) masks. Both filter 95 percent of small particles, including bacteria and viruses. The KN95 masks are on the Center for Disease Control’s list of approved mask-respirators but are not certified by the Food and Drug Administration.
Chris Thomas, senior communications manager at Providence Health & Services in Centralia, said they currently have enough protective equipment for their patients and employees, but they are accepting donations of unopened boxes of personal protection equipment, such as masks and gloves.
“We have, currently, the personal protective equipment that our caregivers need to care for themselves and our patients,” Thomas said.
Thomas said he saw the Book ‘N’ Brush post on Facebook but wasn’t sure if they were the hospital-grade style that Providence needs.
“I don’t know if those would meet the criteria that we need,” Thomas said. “There are certain N95 masks that are medical grade that we work with a specific manufacturer on. And we fit test our caregivers to make sure they are using the correct N95s that protect them correctly.”
At around noon on Thursday, Book ‘N’ Brush posted to its Facebook page, “Just in! Surgical masks. N95 masks for adults and children. Adult sizes 2 per package $6.50. Children 5 pack with cute designs $5.95. Let us know we certainly can add to any book order.”
Photos of the masks in the posts show them labeled KN95. Within an hour, there were two lines outside the store.
The comment section on the Facebook post was quickly filled with upset people berating Book ‘N’ Brush for selling them to the public, saying medical workers statewide were in short supply.
After the first 28 masks had been sold, Alicia Bull, executive director of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, called Book ‘N’ Brush to say that first responders needed the masks and asked to buy them for the Chamber’s efforts to donate to first responders, Book ‘N’ Brush owner David Hartz said. Hartz said he decided to pull the remaining 44 masks from shelves and set them aside to donate to the chamber.
“I physically pulled them off the front counter so I could tell Alicia, ‘OK, I’m going to give you what we have left,” Hartz said. “Doesn’t seem like much, but I guess when you don’t have anything, 44 is a lot. So, we’re going to get those over to them.”
Hartz found the masks for sale when buying 120 two-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer from his sales rep. She mentioned she could get him masks from Seattle, so Hartz ordered them on Monday and they arrived Wednesday. He said he’s had no angry calls from customers.
“Nobody has pushed back at all, to us,” Hartz said.
Hartz planned to drop off the KN95 masks to Bull at the chamber on Thursday afternoon, and plans to order 1,000 more masks on either Friday or Monday. He expects the hand sanitizer to arrive Monday or Tuesday.
“When I go to drop off these masks, I’m going to ask Alicia what else she needs, because we can get surgical masks, we can get gloves,” Hartz said. “Then I’m going to ask her about the hand sanitizer and see if that’s something she sees that the first responders need. If it is, then I will be back on the phone with my rep.”
Thomas said Providence has also worked with the Chamber by donating supplies the hospital received that weren’t the correct type for its caregivers.
“We definitely support Book ‘N’ Brush getting those to the chamber and other EMS or first responders that need that equipment,” Thomas said.
