Mat-Su nonprofit expands access to free medical equipment loans

WASILLA, Alaska (KTUU) – Valley Charities, a nonprofit within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, has lately expanded its Sturdy Medical Gear Lending Program with the assistance of grant funding from the Mat-Su Well being Basis. This system permits valley residents to borrow Sturdy Medical Gear similar to canes, walkers, wheelchairs, switch boards, and toilet aids utterly freed from cost for as much as six months at a time.

In keeping with Valley Charities govt director John Rozzi, this system has been in place for over 60 years. The enlargement now permits this system to expire of its personal separate constructing with extra stock and monitoring software program that calculates the place there’s a necessity.

“Not solely can we attain extra folks, we will do it in an environment friendly manner and we will observe it higher,” Rozzi stated. “We will hold observe of what it’s that everyone actually wants regularly.”

The brand new location has additionally been geared up with an industrial-grade cleansing and disinfecting machine that washes used tools earlier than being bodily inspected and positioned again into rotation.

About 10 years in the past, this system was lending out about $100,000 price of medical tools yearly — an quantity that has now grown to $300,000 price of stock, in response to Rozzi.

The nonprofit’s retailer supervisor Randy Miller has been working for the group since final September and helped the corporate transfer into the brand new constructing in Wasilla.

“Final week alone I had 48 folks are available in for the week,” Miller stated. “That’s folks both bringing tools again or signing tools out.”

On Tuesday, Miller’s stock software program confirmed that of the 617 lively property Valley Charities has accessible with 278 have been at present leased out. Miller stated that the group does settle for donations of not used DME from the general public so long as it’s nonetheless purposeful.

“If it’s nonetheless good medical tools, we’ll clear it up and provides it again out to the group,” Miller stated.

Valley Charities does have future plans to increase entry to extra northerly borough communities like Talkeetna and Sutton.

“One of many large the reason why we’re getting the phrase out proper now could be so we will attain extra folks,” Rozzi stated.

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