Two local nonprofits are teaming up to give away free home health care items like walkers, bathing stools and rollators to people who need them but can’t afford them.
Many home health items are not covered by private insurance or Medicare, said Rich Garland, executive director of The Blessing Board and Angela Garcia, executive director of Global Links.
Items such as bathing benches and rollators “allow people to live independently and safely,” Garcia said. “And so, to us, it makes sense that everyone has access to these.”
The items will be available for pickup at The Blessing Board’s two local locations, in Shaler and West Mifflin.
The groups are also seeking donations of such items as well.
The collaboration between The Blessing Board, a furniture bank, and Global Links, which rescues surplus medical materials, was several years in the making, leaders of both organizations said.
“There is a lot of surplus available when families lose a loved one, or treatments change, or injuries heal. And we were receiving that literally by the truckloads every few months,” Garcia said.
Garland said he still recalls how Garcia pitched him on the idea of working together several years ago.
“She said, ‘Well, you do clunky stuff really well, so how about you consider durable medical equipment? Because there's nobody in the community doing that.’”
To request home care equipment, visit https://blessingboard.org/ and complete an online application. A scheduler will reach out to arrange a pick-up time.
To donate equipment, visit https://globallinks.org/ways-to-give/donate-medical-supplies/
