States are trashing troves of masks and pandemic gear as huge, costly stockpiles linger and expire

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., many states like Ohio scrambled for masks and other protective gear. Now, “states, hospitals, manufacturers – everybody in the whole system -- has extra product,” said Linda Rouse O’Neill of the Health Industry Distributors Association. Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told local lawmakers in May that officials would focus on enhancing supply contracts for future emergencies, rather than prioritizing “a static stockpile of commodities.” Missouri’s mental health department planned but scrapped an auction of thousands of extra masks, gowns and other protective items bought with federal coronavirus relief money. “It’s not really practical for most local health departments to have a large stockpile of materials for ‘just in case,’” said Adriane Casalotti of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. “If we had unlimited federal funding, or even significantly more federal funding, for public health preparedness, that 60-day stockpile or 90-day stockpile would be a fantastic idea,” said Andy Pickett, the Health Department’s emergency preparedness and response director.