ALBANY — The state of New York has failed to use the majority of more than $450 million in emergency equipment it purchased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic; failing to distribute things like ventilators and medical equipment.
According to an audit conducted by the state Comptroller’s Office, of the 249,570 total items purchased by the state government during the beginning of the COVID-19 state of emergency, only three items were actually used — a majority of what was distributed was from the state’s pre-existing stockpile.
The remaining items have sat in warehouses across the state for years, unused and unmaintained. The Comptroller’s report notes that at least 90% of about 4,500 items that require regular maintenance haven’t been getting that maintenance, something that could devalue that equipment and make their eventual use impossible or very expensive to secure.
The items were purchased under the tenure of then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, about a year before he resigned in disgrace after multiple credible accusations of sexual abuse and creating a hostile work environment were leveled against him by several women he had worked with or near. The Comptroller’s report indicates that the Cuomo administration appointed a consultant who projected the state would need thousands of pieces of medical equipment including oxygen concentrators, BIPAP machines and ventilators, on top of surgical masks, gloves and other PPE for health care professionals.
At the time, the Cuomo administration projected that the state’s hospitals would be swamped by COVID cases and that existing stocks of vital equipment to treat respiratory failure would be insufficient for demand. That proved only half true — while hospitals statewide saw major backlogs and many hundreds of COVID-19 patients, the demand for respiratory equipment didn’t meet what the administration projected. At the same time, other COVID-era resources were lightly used, if at all. The Cuomo administration had spun up a temporary hospital in the Javits Center convention space in New York City that was rarely used, and had the federal government send a hospital ship that sat in the waters around the city for months that saw almost no patients at all.
Ultimately, the comptroller’s office said that to avoid future major investments in medical equipment that isn’t needed, the state should implement a basic policy for emergency scenarios and look to conduct emergency equipment purchases along similar lines to non-emergency purchases. The office also recommended the state do better at maintaining documents tracking decision-making processes, implement a statewide plan to distribute the surplus medical equipment still being stored, and put together a maintenance plan for the equipment they plan to retain so it’s ready for use if another public health emergency arises.