A Missouri agency planned to auction off personal protective equipment it bought with federal funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the event was abruptly canceled after the agency learned it could not resell the items, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported June 22.
The state's mental health department bookmarked 50,000 protective masks, 18,000 hospital gowns, 11,000 shoe covers, and about 2,000 goggles and 2,000 face shields for the auction, according to the news outlet.
Healthcare products purchased through Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds are not allowed to be resold. Before the auction was canceled, $9 was bid for all of the hospital gowns, $102 for the masks and $110 for the protective goggles.
A spokesperson with the department told the Post-Dispatch the medical supplies are stored at Fulton State Hospital and the agency is "working with other state agencies to identify a solution."