Got an unused medical device? Need one? This charity can help.

The mechanical device used to lift Margaret Branton safely was very uncomfortable and pinched the 87-year-old Suffolk resident, who has been bedridden for eight years.

Not enough time had lapsed for another lift to be covered by insurance. Her family found out about the FREE, and applied for help.

"We are elated" with the donation of a more patient-friendly lift, said her daughter Peggy Branton.

FREE stands for the Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment Endowment. The nonprofit group provides free mobility rehabilitation equipment to those in need. Valeria Mitchell is manager of the trauma program at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. She is also the founder and president of the local FREE chapter, one of five in Virginia.

The Virginia Beach warehouse is stocked with medical mobility equipment, including walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, and bath and toilet aids.

An open house is scheduled for Sept. 26; and the community, including those who work with people with disabilities, is invited. The public can meet the staff and volunteers who help others, and check out the extensive inventory.

The foundation helps the uninsured who can't afford needed medical equipment, and those whose insurance won't cover certain items. There are also people whose insurance won't replace an item within a specific time period, as was the case for the Branton family.

Mitchell stepped up to lead the South Hampton Roads chapter in 2005.

"We got a group of volunteers together and started from there," she said.

At first, items were stored in local hospital closets and in an office space donated by a friend. Sentara has provided warehouse space for more than 10 years, including the new location they moved into earlier this year at Arrowhead Shopping Center.

Donations of used medical assistive devices, excluding hospital beds, can be made at any Good Will Industries collection site. Then they are sanitized, and inventoried.

Applications for help can be submitted on the FREE website, or call 757-771-6183.

Donating to the foundation is "really a way to be a good steward of resources," Mitchell said. Most items received are in very good condition, and have been used for a very short time.

Recipients are very thankful, she said. She recalled the gentleman who shed tears after receiving a motorized scooter, and another who was overjoyed to get a new wheelchair after his had been destroyed in a basement flood.

Ross estimated last year almost 200 people received items, valued at a total of more than $75,000.

The foundation is funded by donations and grants. Sentara spokesman Dale Gauding said a significant number of people are at-risk for falling at home, and the foundation helps keep them safe, prevent injuries and increase their mobility.

"We want people to know this resource is available in the community," he said. Chinell Robinson has suffered several strokes, and needed a bathtub bench to prevent her from falling. The Portsmouth resident is on Medicaid.

"I can't explain how grateful I am," she said. "I’m used to helping others, and now they are helping me."

if you go

What: Open house a the Virginia Beach warehouse of FREE (Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment Endowment)

When: 5-7 p.m. Sept. 26

Where: 5624 Princess Anne Road, in Arrowhead Shopping Center

Cost: Free

Info: 757-771-6183, www.free-foundation.org

interested?

need help?

Submit an application at www.free-foundation.org/shr-application or call Crystal Ross at 757-771-6183. A physician's prescription is required. Hours are Monday through Thursday, but may vary.

want to help?

Donations of used medical assistive devices, excluding hospital beds, can be made at any Good Will Industries collection site. For locations, visit https://goodwillvirginia.org/ or call 757-248-9405.

Cindy Butler Focke, [email protected]

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