CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Insightra Medical in Clarksville has stepped up to support the medical community battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Insightra is a medical device company, headquartered at 141 Hatcher Lane. They focus on developing, manufacturing, and selling medical devices to Ambulatory Surgery Centers in over 30 countries around the world.
Currently, Kai Trompeter, CEO of Insightra Medical, is in Europe where he was based. In early March he was planning on making the move with his family to Clarksville when the U.S. declared a travel ban to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Realizing that the crisis was going to have an adverse effect on his business, his employees, and their families, Trompeter rallied his team to see what they could do to help.
One of their first steps was to make a donation to Operation Come Together in Clarksville. The network of several hundred volunteers across Middle Tennessee are sewing face masks for first responders, medical personnel, and the public.
Trompeter wanted to do more. Reaching out to contacts in Asia, where he had once lived, allowed Trompeter to gain access to manufacturers of high-grade masks and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). He said the PPE was to be used for medical professionals, concerned neighbors, friends, and fellow citizens.
He said navigating the red tape to get the first order of 150,000 face masks out of China was a challenge. The company was able to have the face masks along with 4,000 professional face shields shipped to Clarksville. The materials were gone virtually the same day they arrived.
“We want to careful and openly communicate that we are not trying to unreasonably profit from this situation. Anything we have that is medical grade, we only sell it to the medical professionals that need it,” said Trompeter.
The company contacted both City of Clarksville and Montgomery County officials along with local medical facilities to let them know they had the products. The company is not interested in selling to other cities. “We’re a Clarksville company and if we can help our hometown, that’s what we do,” Trompeter said.
“We have access to them right now so let’s make sure we get as much as we can. Not only for the hospitals but the retirement homes,” he continued. “First responders and public servants. You need to make sure these people are protected.”
Insightra Medical has another 250,000 high quality masks going through the shipping channels right now. If all goes well they will be arriving in Clarksville by the end of this week or early next week.
“We’re going to coordinate with the City and the community to get them to the professionals that need them, but we also want to give an opportunity to basically anybody,” Trompeter said.
Once the 250,000 masks come in, the company has plans to order another 300,000 which Trompeter says will make a solid impact.
To be transparent, Trompeter says the masks are being sold for a 35-percent margin to medical professionals and for the public they are limiting it to a 50 percent margin. He added that people may criticize the company for not donating them, but they are trying to help and also keep their business alive.
As for the cost, everything has to be paid up front to manufacturers in China. The company says that transportation costs, customs taxes, and quality tests are high.
For more details on Insightra Medical or to get information on the masks and other Personal Protective Equipment, visit insightra.com, email info@insightra.com, or call 931-207-8077.