ARIZONA NEWS

With COVID-19 emergency winding down, Embry Health holds surplus sale

May 15, 2023, 4:25 AM | Updated: 5:28 am

Masks, gloves and other COVID-19 equipment are for sale at Embry Health’s Tolleson warehouse thro...

Masks, gloves and other COVID-19 equipment are for sale at Embry Health’s Tolleson warehouse through the end of May. Photo taken on April 28, 2023. (Photo by Jack Wu/Cronkite News)

(Photo by Jack Wu/Cronkite News)

TOLLESON – With the national COVID-19 public health emergency ending May 11, the company synonymous with testing in Arizona is winding down as well, holding a surplus supply sale.

Embry Health, which at one time had testing and vaccine locations around the state, is holding a sale through the end of May at its Tolleson warehouse. It’s selling its recreational vehicles and trailers at a separate sale in Chandler.

Embry Health CEO Raymond Embry said four testing locations remain, but with U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths near new lows, it’s time to move in a new direction.

He said he regrets having to lay off the thousands of people who worked for Embry during the pandemic. When at-home COVID-19 test kits became widely available, the need for Embry’s testing service dwindled.

“When things change, the funding evaporates, and all of a sudden, you’re doing thousands of layoffs,” he said. “Nothing is more soul-deteriorating than that, and many times, these were people who’ve given the past two years of their life to fight the pandemic.”

In April 2022, Embry wrote to Congress, asking to restore funding for COVID-19 testing. He said that when the Health Resources and Services Administration COVID-19 Uninsured Program stopped accepting claims for testing, his company had to end free testing for uninsured patients. That meant closing locations in rural Arizona, including Page, Benson and Safford.

The Arizona State Board of Nursing levied a $10,000 penalty against JoEllen Embry, former medical director of Embry Health, in April 2022 for unprofessional conduct over billing errors. At the time, Raymond Embry acknowledged that mistakes were made because reimbursement rules were changing throughout the pandemic. Raymond is JoEllen’s son.

The surplus sale was supposed to end April 30, but a lease extension of the warehouse means it can stay open until the end of May, Raymond Embry said.

The warehouse at 83rd Avenue and Van Buren Street once housed millions of dollars in supplies for testing and vaccination sites in Arizona. Now, with only four testing locations in the Valley, the company is selling the majority of its stock.

The sale includes a range of items from protective equipment like masks and gloves to portable heaters, rolling industrial cabinets, tables, chairs, 55-gallon trash cans and traffic cones. Some essentials that once sold for triple the retail price now sell for pennies on the dollar, Embry said.

“Cases of gloves on Amazon would cost us $120 a case for 1,000 gloves,” he said. “Now that exact same case is worth less than $40. So you can see the value of our assets, in some cases, has completely collapsed.”

He acknowledged that the company, which started as Embry Women’s Health clinic in Mesa, is facing financial troubles. In an email to previous clients dated May 2, Embry advertised the sale as well as new services the company is offering, including body sculpting using high-intensity electromagnetic energy, weight loss programs, IV therapy and nonsurgical face and neck lifts.

With multiple locations in the Valley, Embry Health tested over 40% of Maricopa County residents, according to a report by the company. During the height of the pandemic, it had locations in six states and said it processed 4 million tests and serviced 2 million patients.

For more information on the sales and locations, go to embryhealth.com.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

The Siphon Fire prompted evacuation orders for the Tortilla Flat/Canyon Lake area...

KTAR.com

Siphon Fire near Apache Junction grows to nearly 16,000 acres, evacuation orders remain

Authorities issued evacuation orders on Thursday as the Siphon Fire near the community of Tortilla Flat near Canyon Lake, east of metro Phoenix.

1 hour ago

federal pandemic aid...

Associated Press

Local governments must obligate all federal pandemic aid funds by year’s end

Time is running out for local governments, like Gilbert, Arizona, to use billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid funds.

2 hours ago

Phoenix man homicide...

KTAR.com

Phoenix man’s death being investigated as a homicide

Phoenix Police are investigating a Phoenix's man's death in which was ruled a homicide, according to authorities.

4 hours ago

Aerial view of 16-acre Camp Verde property north of metro Phoenix, Arizona...

Payne Moses

Land developer to install RV park after $1 million investment in Camp Verde land

Recreational Investment Group LLP plans to install a new RV resort after purchasing nearly 16 acres of land in Camp Verde, Arizona.

6 hours ago

A parade of people in bright dresses and black mariachi suit....

KTAR.com

Festival to celebrate Mexican culture brings authentic cuisine and entertainment to Phoenix

On Sunday, downtown Phoenix will host the El Grito Festival which will honor Mexican culture and independence through food and entertainment.

8 hours ago

Rusty Taco....

Brandon Brown/Phoenix Business Journal

Texas-based Rusty Taco hopes to start adding Arizona locations

Rusty Taco, a growing fast-casual chain based out of Dallas, already has a small presence in the Valley but has targeted Phoenix, and the whole state of Arizona, as a growth market.

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Dr. Shanyn Lancaster, Family & Sports Medicine physician, Midwestern University Comprehensive Care Clinic – Central Phoenix

Exercise is truly your best medicine

“You never slow down, you never grow old”. – Tom Petty

...

Collins Comfort Masters

Here’s how to be worry-free when your A/C goes out in the middle of summer

PHOENIX -- As Arizona approaches another hot summer, Phoenix residents are likely to spend more time indoors.

...

DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Desert Institute for Spine Care is the place for weekend warriors to fix their back pain

Spring has sprung and nothing is better than March in Arizona. The temperatures are perfect and with the beautiful weather, Arizona has become a hotbed for hikers, runners, golfers, pickleball players and all types of weekend warriors.

With COVID-19 emergency winding down, Embry Health holds surplus sale