As a quadriplegic, Diana Ames knows the importance of having reliable medical equipment. She also knows how expensive new equipment can be, especially when insurance does not cover the cost.
“There are so many people out there, and often their need is immediate — they need the equipment now,” Ames said.
That’s why when she sought a project for the missions committee of Westwood Baptist Church, Forestdale, she immediately felt drawn to ReMEDy, a new program started by BBA and its Center at Central Park.
ReMEDy’s goal is to involve churches with an ongoing effort by the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) to provide pre-owned medical equipment to people in need. ADRS’s STAR (Statewide Technology Access and Response) program accepts donations of medical equipment and places the items on a monthly inventory list available online. The equipment is then loaned to family members, caseworkers, school employees and others around the state who work with individuals with both long- and short-term disabilities or illnesses.
“By partnering with ReMEDy, church members can help find and collect equipment, help find people who need to be loaned this equipment and can help pick up or deliver,” said Jim Branum, associate director for volunteer mobilization at the center. “In addition, if a church has unused space, it has the option to serve as a collection or distribution site as well.”
In the two months since Westwood Baptist has been actively working with ReMEDy, church members have donated equipment and missions committee members have gotten the word out about the program.
First Baptist Church, Alabaster, in Shelby Baptist Association has also partnered with ReMEDy and is seeking a storage site.
Lance Lee, a member of First, Alabaster, and chaplain and volunteer coordinator with Family Comfort Hospice of Alabaster, pointed out that meeting a physical need during a medical crisis can provide “another avenue to remind people that God does love them and that God is with them through this crisis.”
Branum said his long-term goal is that at least one church in every Alabama association will partner with ReMEDy to collect and loan equipment both to individuals in its community and around the state. He believes a solid statewide network will not only help more people but will also help them get much-needed equipment quicker. In addition to church partners, the program also needs volunteers to locate equipment and people in need of it and pick up and deliver equipment to help with expenses.
For more information, visit www.bbaonline.org or contact the center at 205-783-9170.
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