'A System Failure': Investigation Released On San Mateo Co. PPE Error

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — An independent investigation into how San Mateo County left $7 million in personal protective equipment outside during a rainstorm last October determined that the county put “no protections” in place to prevent damage to the PPE and its packaging after it was placed outside.

The investigation, conducted by James Lianides, the former superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, was released Thursday and found that an internal controls breakdown led to boxes of mostly non-medical grade gowns, goggles and face shields — along with cleaning supplies — being left outside in the rain.

The county admitted to the mistake soon after a report by ABC7 showed video of boxes upon boxes soaked by the rain. The equipment was purchased early in the pandemic, but went unused as demand for the supplies subsided as the pandemic went on. The boxes were then moved in mid-September to a fenced area outside the event center to make room for an event inside, according to the county. But the items were not returned inside following the event.

“What’s clear is that this shouldn’t have happened,” County Executive Officer Mike Callagy said in response to the investigation. “What is equally clear is we are taking the steps necessary to make sure that we put the checks and balances in place so this never happens again.”

Callagy said the county hired Management Partners, a consulting firm, to review best practices in the industry.

Related: $7M Of PPE Purchased By San Mateo County Damaged By Rainstorms

The damage to the PPE wasn’t as bad as first expected, with individual plastic wrapping saving all but $128,152 of the supplies. The county donated the surplus equipment to over 90 nonprofits and other government entities, according to a news release.

"My point is, is clearly this is, that this should never, ever have happened," Supervisor David Canepa said during a board meeting last week. "And it should never ever happen again."

In the report, Lianides commended county staff for being “proactive in providing emergency services and safety equipment to meet the needs of residents and this was accomplished under extremely challenging and uncertain conditions.”

But he recommended that the county more clearly delineate responsibilities and accountability, improve coordination among internal departments, provide annual training on federal and state regulations regarding emergency management and retain an expert in storage, tracking and distribution.

“It is hoped that the County can make use of what has been learned in response to this emergency to strengthen its procedures in a future emergency situation,” Lianides wrote.

Callagy said that San Mateo County was a leader during the pandemic, but failed in this particular incident.

“We will learn from this to ensure that this never happens again,” Callagy said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been and continues to cause so much pain to so many people. All County employees, regardless of their roles, are also disaster service workers and have served their community to the best of their ability through these trying times. We had a system failure, and that system will be fixed."

Click here to read the full report from the investigation.