SHARON Program recycles medical gear

People who need lift chairs have to wait nearly a year to get the equipment.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- The waiting list for free medical equipment is growing, and the Medical Equipment Recycling Program is looking for ways to meet that need.
The agency, funded by grants from UPMC Horizon Foundation and the Grove City United Way, helps area residents who don't have adequate insurance or can't afford to pay on their own for medical equipment ranging from canes to lift chairs and hospital beds.
"The demand is increasing. The waiting lists are just growing," said Jennifer Barborak, program coordinator.
There's a four- or five-month wait for wheelchairs and the waiting list for lift chairs goes back to March 2003, she said.
The program was launched in early 1999 in the Salvation Army building on Fisher Hill Street, and that remains its main facility.
Since then, it has also opened operations at the Good Shepherd Center on Main Street in Greenville and the Pine Grove Community Center on Barkeyville Road near Grove City.
Progress report
It's handed out 1,025 pieces of refurbished equipment since it began its operations, with more than 150 of that number being given out in just the last four months, said Barborak, who works 20 hours a week.
The program is becoming better known and the UPMC Horizon Foundation board of directors has helped spread the word, said Jackie Bonier, foundation director. The foundation started the program.
"We are turning over equipment much faster now," she said, noting that all local hospitals as well as many private rehabilitation companies and some Youngstown hospitals are all making use of the program.
The effort started out just to benefit Mercer County low-income residents but it now has equipment in seven counties, Barborak said.
Barborak has written several grant applications for the program, seeking funding support to buy equipment from both the state and private foundations. Those funds are pending, as is a promise from the city of Sharon to provide some help through its federal Community Development Block Grant money, she said.
The program recently received a UPMC Horizon Foundation grant to buy eight shower chairs, 12 tub benches, 10 aluminum canes, five mattresses and one wheelchair, she said.
Equipment sought
The program is also seeking support directly from the public in the form of an equipment drive, asking people to bring unneeded equipment to the Shenango Valley Mall on March 6.
Barborak said UPMC Horizon puts a truck and two maintenance workers at her disposal one morning a week to make pickups and deliveries of heavy equipment.
The program no longer deals with electric wheelchairs or scooters because of liability issues and repair problems, she said.
Equipment is provided free of charge, but it's a loan, not a gift.
"Most people are pretty good about returning it when they are done," Barborak said.
The program had a budget of $28,000 last year but is expected to spend $40,000 this year as the demand continues to grow, she said.
Barborak makes most of any necessary equipment repairs herself and has volunteers who come in regularly to clean used equipment before it is sent out.
"It's such a rewarding job. When people leave here, they've got what they need," she said.
Equipment and medical supplies that can't be recycled in the United States are donated to the Humanitarian Education & amp; Relief Services, which ships them to Third World countries where medical supplies and equipment are also in demand, Barborak said.