High school students are learning about more than electronics in Rochester. Last February, REquipment was contacted by Dan Brush, an electronics engineering instructor at the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical School in Rochester, MA. Dan was reaching out because his students had just repaired a donated scooter. He was looking for help finding it a new home and sharing the cost of repairs. I was excited to learn of high school students eager to fix… Hands-on Service Learning with REquipment!
REquipment is delighted to announce the release of our latest promotional video: REquipment Changes Lives. The video was shot and produced by high school film student Atticus Phinney-Anderson to help get out the word about the importance of durable medical equipment reuse. Thank you, Atticus for a wonderful job! Many thanks as well to JoJo who generously shares his story as a REquipment power wheelchair recipient and also to Joe Tringali, Stavros CIL Program Director,… New Video! REquipment Changes Lives
Readers! Thank you for sharing with us how REquipment improves your quality of life and health. Recently we received a letter from Paul Provencher that taught us something new. “I am at the hospital sometimes 5 days a week for dialysis and doctors appointments,” Paul writes. “Before receiving the wheelchair, my wife would have to park, get out and hopefully find a wheelchair, nevermind one that works. Not to mention when was the last time… A Wheelchair for Dialysis?
We are busting at the seams and it’s a wonderful dilemma to have. Thank you! Because, clearly, the word is out. REquipment is a great place to bring your gently-used but no-longer-needed DME. We help families find appropriate homes for equipment that once made a big difference (or was rarely used) in their households. Sometimes this is an emotional decision. Sometimes it’s just a relief to know what to do with these devices. Regardless, everyone… Got Warehouse/Storage Space?
Announcing the return of our ONLINE inventory! Regular users of the REquipment reuse program were acutely aware that our inventory of refurbished durable medical equipment (DME) was offline from December 1, 2018, to April 1, 2019. Why were we down for so long? Hosting of our inventory’s database was required to be transferred to a HIPAA-compliant hosting agency to protect the personal information of people requesting devices. The process to find a host agency and… WE’RE BACK!
Pressure injuries are common and too often life-threatening for users of wheelchairs. We are thrilled our program played a critical healing role for the Barnards. We always say REquipment helps people stay safe and independent at home and in their communities. This story goes so much further. Tom Barnard Sr. received a sit-to-stand manual wheelchair from REquipment last year. His son, Tommy Jr., recently emailed to let us know the extraordinary impact the device has… Why We Do What We Do–The Amazing Story of Tom and Tommy Barnard
It’s awful to be 12 years old with suddenly no way to get around. Nearly as awful as being that 12-year-old’s parents! Lilli went to the mountain February 2nd and broke both her legs snowboarding. Yes, both. Her legs were cast above the knee, and she was summarily discharged home… with no medical equipment! No wheelchair. No way to shower (or access the bathroom). No way to attend school. No way for both parents to… Lilli Gets Wheels
Throughout the month of January, REquipment went head-to-head with Catie’s Closet for a $1,000 prize sponsored by MillTown Plumbing, a local business that routinely nominates do-gooder organizations like ours to compete via votes cast at their website. Success hinges on the passion of each nonprofit’s community and social media prowess. We are so proud of all of you for engaging in this fun this month, and propelling us to an exciting nail-biting finish! A sample… The Power of Your Enthusiasm!
Ordinarily, REquipment serves Massachusetts. We provide donated, refurbished durable medical equipment to individuals with disabilities statewide at no charge. When requests come from beyond Massachusetts, our policy is to make equipment available that has remained listed in our inventory for 90 days (occasionally we provide DME for national disaster relief efforts, too). This year we were delighted to see three of our wheelchairs take a very special trip: to clinics for children in Port Au… Better Mobility for Kids with Wheelchair Works for Haiti
My name is JoJo and I acquired a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in April of 2017. I was in a nursing home until my doctors could get me a wheelchair to use to get home. Shortly after returning home, my family and I realized that due to the impact the TBI has had on my ability to move my arms, the manual wheelchair was not going to work for me. My family and I searched everywhere… Guest post: My Limitless Potential