Shaler-based Blessing Board offers free durable medical equipment

An array of wheelchairs, walkers, shower seats and relevant things greeted site visitors to the Blessing Board in Shaler for a Sept. 8 announcement.

“We’re amassing long lasting health care tools, and then we’re offering it out to the men and women in need in Allegheny and surrounding counties,” Richard Garland, the nonprofit’s executive director, mentioned.

The Blessing Board which started in a Penn Hills church in 2010, has a tradition of picking up and receiving donated household furniture, appliances and residence goods for distribution to men and women who have to have them, with additional than 10,000 households so considerably, according to Garland.

In a cooperative effort with other volunteer-pushed businesses, one more classification of items has been additional to the combine.

Eco-friendly Tree-centered Worldwide Links, which rescues surplus medical resources and shares them with general public well being amenities about the entire world, is amongst the partners in selection and distribution attempts.

“Why in the earth do we need to have to do this? Why do we need to work jointly? It’s mainly because all of the goods you see here currently maintain individuals living in superior well being, independently, and they can reside with dignity no matter of their profits,” govt director Angela Garcia said. “All of these products that you see are usually not included by Medicaid, or the co-pay is value-prohibitive.”

Her group materials devices to Picked, a 53-yr-aged Erie nonprofit health care ministry that began distributing health-related products in 2015, just after acquiring a series of requests along those people traces.

“When we started out this, we averaged 25 parts of devices a thirty day period, and mostly these machines parts have been it’s possible a cane or a walker, or after in a whilst a wheelchair,” chief govt officer Rick King said. “Fast-forward to August of 2022: We are now putting out over 800 items a thirty day period, and that ranges any where from a reacher to a clinic bed and just about anything in amongst. And so the have to have carries on to increase.”

Garcia introduced Garland to King, who furnished advice in getting the Blessing Board started out with a very similar endeavor.

“He blessed us with a wealth of awareness,” Garland reported.

Supplying a relationship to assist achieve as several people today as attainable is North Aspect Christian Well being Middle, which “provides wellness treatment for individuals of all religions, all races, all sexualities, all no matter of citizenship status,” according to Bethany Blackburn, chief executive officer.

Services incorporate most important care, pediatrics, dental and behavioral wellness care, regardless of insurance policies position and the patient’s capability to pay.

“In 2021, North Facet Christian Health and fitness Heart served in excess of 4,000 sufferers. We had above 11,000 visits. Five-and-a-50 {08cd930984ace14b54ef017cfb82c397b10f0f7d5e03e6413ad93bb8e636217f} p.c of these patients were homeless. Eighteen p.c live in public housing, and 11{08cd930984ace14b54ef017cfb82c397b10f0f7d5e03e6413ad93bb8e636217f} have been uninsured,” Blackburn explained. “Our capacity to help people come across tough health-related machines for their cure and for their quality of lifetime has been incredibly hard, till now. And that is why we’re so appreciative of the partnership with the Blessing Board.”

The husband or wife corporations request donations of tough health care devices and, as normally, volunteers to support with the philanthropic efforts.

For much more data, stop by:

• The Blessing Board, blessingboard.org.

• International One-way links, globallinks.org.

• North Side Christian Well being Heart, www.nschc.org.

• Picked out, selected210.com.