Free clinic to hold med equipment drive Saturday

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read

Feb. 15—The Meadville Area Free Clinic is collecting gently used durable medical equipment Saturday to give it new life through its Pass It On program.

Donations of used durable medical equipment, or DME, will be accepted from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Meadville Area Free Clinic offices, the 505 Poplar St. medical arts building.

Equipment will be refurbished and made available to Crawford County-area residents who lack the insurance coverage or financial means to buy medical equipment.

Pieces of equipment the Pass It On program needs includes wheelchairs; canes; rollators and walkers; crutches; and bathroom equipment, including tub benches, shower chairs and bedside commodes.

"We're glad to take anything we can get" said Rion McCluskey, an Allegheny College student volunteer at MAFC, who organized the upcoming DME drive.

Donated medical equipment gets checked over, and volunteers help to clean, repair and refurbish the devices, if needed, before it given out, McCluskey said.

Those wheelchairs that cannot be used or repaired locally will go onto Wheelchairs Across America in Pittsburgh to be refurbished or used for replacement parts.

"We get about six calls a day, either people wanting to make a donation or who are in need of supplies or equipment," Diane Craven, office manager for MAFC, said. "There are a lot of people who are uninsured or they lack the financial means to acquire all they need."

Meadville Medical Center's physical therapy and occupational therapy departments often inquire about equipment as they have a patient being discharged who is need of equipment, Craven said.

For those with insurance coverage, most insurances will cover the cost of one piece of durable medical equipment between once per year or every three years — but often patients being discharged need more than one piece, Craven said.

Also, the timing of a patient's discharged may be an issue, Craven said.

"A lot of times we get calls for equipment on a Thursday or Friday when a patient is being discharged, but their insurance coverage hasn't been approved in time with their discharge," Craven said. "They'll need a walker or other device for a few days — especially over a weekend — or maybe a bit longer."

The majority of the DME given out is for a short-term need for a patient, according to Craven.

"We just ask they 'pass it on' to someone else in need or return it," Craven said.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.