Hospice of Wrangell donates 400 pounds of medical equipment to Ketchikan

Hospice of Wrangell operates a loan closet from which people all around town are able to borrow medical equipment, such as walkers, wheel chairs, shower benches, and other items. Hospice President Alice Rooney explained that the loan closet stores many of its items in the attic of the AICS Clinic on Wood Street. With the construction of Wrangell's new hospital beginning, however, the clinic's storage space will be renovated and the loan closet's items needed to be moved.

"So those items had to be moved, and some of them were duplicates of what we have in our regular loan closet down at the Presbyterian Church," Hospice Board Member Marlene Merritt added.

A little over 400 pounds of medical equipment was sent south to Ketchikan last week, Merritt said. Among the items sent were walkers, shower benches, crutches, and bed rails. All these items were sent to Ketchikan free of charge by Alaska Marine Lines, according to Rooney. She added that they chose to donate the goods to SAIL partially because of its close proximity. SAIL is an organization that can be found in numerous Southeast Alaskan communities, which works to support the elderly and disabled members of those communities. Ashley Young, with the Ketchikan SAIL office, said they received over 100 items of medical equipment last Friday. She said that everyone at the office has been blown away by the amount of goods that were donated.

"We were just kind of in awe at Wrangell Hospice's generosity," Young said. "We are definitely going to send out some thank you's once I finish going through all of this."

While their storage space at the AICS Clinic has been downsized, Rooney and Merritt both said they wanted to thank the clinic for their help as well as their continued support, as they are still storing some items there. They also wanted to extend their thanks to the Presbyterian church. For those interested in learning more about the loan closet or Hospice of Wrangell, Rooney said to call the front desk of the Wrangell Medical Center. She also added that anybody is free to seek equipment from the loan closet, it is not limited solely to board members. She said that medical needs are not the only ones they try to meet with their loans. If a family has visiting relatives with limited mobility, for example, the loan closet can help.

"So if grandma is coming to visit for a week, or something, or if somebody comes home," Rooney said. "We get a lot of requests around the Fourth of July for wheelchairs."