NorCal SCI invests in new storage facility to support popular donated medical equipment program
When we launched NorCal SCI about two years ago, among the goals and objectives we laid out, collecting and distributing donated durable medical equipment (DME) was not among them. But, our ever-resourceful spinal cord injury community began contacting us to donate their DME they were no longer in need of, with the hope that it would benefit someone else. Fast forward to today and what started out as a one piece of DME at a time being donated has turned into a very active part of our mission and we’re happy to announce that we’ve decided to invest $3,500 annually by renting a 10’x15’ storage space to accommodate this growing service. CHECK OUT OUR CURRENT INVENTORY HERE.
DME stored at our Los Gatos storage facility
For some background, we learned that there were hardly any organizations out there providing this type of service. We were receiving inquiries from all over Northern California from individuals that had some outstanding equipment but they hated the thought of either dumping or giving it to an organization where you have no idea where your equipment ended up and how it benefited someone truly in need. On top of that, no organization that we knew of was accepting power wheelchairs except Able People Foundation that we friended and partnered with to begin accepting and storing equipment at a temporary facility they had.
We’ve had some incredible equipment come our way. As an example, just a week ago, a newly-injured person’s therapists contacted us. His health insurance plan did not cover a power wheelchair and since he was a high-level quadriplegic, he desperately needed one. We received a practically brand new Permobil F5, one of their top-of-the-line power wheelchairs with tilt, recline and elevate options all installed and we were thrilled to be able to give it to this person and eliminate such a significant concern for them. And that’s just one feel good story. Since we began doing this, we’ve matched individuals with well over $90,000 worth of equipment and helped make a small difference in the lives of dozens of individuals with SCI.
More recently, our partnership with Able People Foundation reached a point that they decided to turn over that service to NorCal SCI and focus on developing other services for the disability community. We’re grateful for their support and collaboration with us and are pleased to continue with offering of this service through our own investment.
We can only accept equipment in good and working condition and our storage is located in Los Gatos where we can arrange to meet you for equipment drop-off. While we may be able to periodically pick up your equipment (depending on the distance), we typically ask the donors to hang on to their equipment until someone expresses interest to us and we then connect the two parties.
And yes, this service is FREE to the SCI community in Northern California. We don’t treat the equipment as loaners. They are yours to keep if you need them. One thing we cannot accept are medical supplies, such as catheters, pads, adult diapers, etc. If you have medical supplies to donate, we highly recommend RECARES.
We hope this service will continue to expand and benefit more individuals with clear needs. If you have equipment to donate, please contact us at info@norcalsci.org.
Yours truly,
Nick & Franklin, co-founders
NorCal SCI