Ongoing supply chain challenges, a product of the lingering struggles caused by the global pandemic, are escalating the significance and benefits of medical reuse programs.

Michele Lujan needed a wheelchair for her 52-year-old husband who had been hospitalized with covid-19. But she had lost her job, and money was tight. Insurance wouldn’t cover the cost, and she didn’t see the use in buying something to meet a temporary need. So she turned to a loan closet not far from her home in the Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch.

At South Metro Medical Equipment Loan Closet, crutches hung from the walls, knee scooters lined the floor, and shower seats and toilet risers overflowed from the shelves. She found a wheelchair she could borrow for free.

“I didn’t realize all the other medical items they have,” Lujan said.

Read the full article at KHN.