Often, following the death of a loved one, families are left wondering what to do with items no longer needed, such as medical equipment and supplies. Some organizations
St. Luke’s Community Clinic in Front Royal, which serves low-income and indigent patients, will happily accept all types of medical equipment and supplies.
St. Luke’s Executive Director, Vicki L. Davies, says that the clinic frequently gets donations when medical equipment and supplies are no longer needed. Many of the donated items go to local residents who have expressed a need and can be kept permanently or returned when no longer needed.
Davies says typical items donated to St. Luke’s include walkers, wheelchairs, shower chairs, etc. When there is an overabundance of items, (which typically happens about every three months) the clinic has three loyal volunteers who show up and transport the surplus equipment to the Manassas Medical Missionaries facility. From there, the supplies are loaded onto a boat or airplane for shipping to third-world countries, where all medical equipment is in short supply.
The volunteers, affectionally referred to by Davies as “our cellar rats,” pack all the supplies into boxes and label them for shipment. The Shenandoah Area for Aging helps with the donation of supplies by driving the equipment to the Manassas location.
Davies says items typically sent overseas include dressing and wound care supplies, medical equipment, C-Pap machines, tube feeding supplies, and this month a prosthetic leg. She said, “I think it’s wonderful how non-profits work together to help others so that expensive medical supplies do not go to waste.
St. Luke’s Community Clinic strives to serve eligible residents of Front Royal/Warren County. For more information on new patient screening requirements or ask how to donate medical equipment and supplies call: (540) 636-4325. St. Luke Community Clinic, 316 North Royal Avenue, Front Royal, Virginia or visit the website https://saintlukeclinic.org/.
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