Healthcare professionals in Eastern Iowa use the medical lending closet in the winter

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Grace Episcopal Church in Cedar Rapids employs 20 volunteers. They are working to assist people in need of specialist medical equipment.

Coordinator Susie Olson stated, “We have volunteers that work behind the scenes; some of them place orders for us, some of them transport items to the landfill, and some of them look after the electronics.”

Every day, mattresses, wheelchairs, and bath benches are lent out and donated.

“We receive financial donations as well as equipment donations from people,” Olson said.

The need is constant throughout the year, but during this time of year, weather-related injuries are the most common cause. According to one healthcare professional, they provide this kind of technology to people of different ages and conditions.

Physical therapist assistant Jen Rosenberg stated, “It is a seasonal uptick of those types of diagnoses, which of course require certain amounts of equipment that really are very temporary in their life because they’re going to use it for maybe eight weeks or two months or something like that and then they can return it back here.”

She claims that precipitation in freezing temperatures can exacerbate any of those circumstances, even with a diverse clientele.

“This time of year, we see more hip fractures, more broken shoulders, even head slips that hit your head and cause brain bleeds, and that kind of thing,” Rosenberg added.

Olson notes that last year’s biggest month for supply needs was August, despite the fact that they notice a rise in weather-related injuries during this time of year.