Article reproduced from Southern Exposure.

Money Will Help Organization Provide Respiratory Equipment to Clients With Heart And Lung Disease

Clinics Can Help, the only agency in Palm Beach County that donates surplus medical equipment and supplies to children and adult patients in need, is proud to announce they are the recipient of a $5,000 grant from The BallenIsles Charitable Foundation.

The grant, which was awarded to the organization in late February, is earmarked for the purchase of five oxygen concentrators, which are safer, less expensive and more convenient alternatives to providing oxygen therapy to patients with difficulty breathing due to heart and lung diseases.

“We regularly get donation requests for oxygen concentrators from clients referred by local hospitals and the American Lung Association,” said Owen O’Neill, executive director of Clinics Can Help. “It can cost $250 a month to rent these units. A person shouldn’t have to struggle to breathe, just because of their financial status. This grant will allow us to purchase five new machines and will further enable us to help clients who have difficulty with their oxygen intake. Clinics Can Help was created to assure that every person in Palm Beach County who is in need of medical equipment can get it. These new machines will do just that, opening the door for us to further help clients in our community.”

The BallenIsles Charities Foundation Inc. was created in 2011 with the mission of “Helping to Make a Difference.” The more than 1,500 families who reside in the residential community believe that they have strength in numbers and are working to make a significant impact throughout Palm Beach County.

“In a very short time, O’Neill has created an important and model resource organization in Palm Beach County that provides quality durable medical equipment to many county residents. We are convinced that our BallenIsles Charities Foundation grant will make a difference for the many patient referrals Clinics Can Help receives for oxygen concentrators. We were very pleased to help Clinics Can Help leverage their work and to help them achieve their overall mission of providing quality medical equipment to those who lack the financial resources at a time when their clients most need support to speed their recovery. We believe that makes a difference in the community.”

Clinics Can Help was founded in 2005 by O’Neill, a veteran nurse who consistently encountered patients who could not afford basic medical equipment and supplies. Looking to bridge the gap between surplus and need, he created Clinics Can Help as a place where people could donate their gently-used medical equipment, which can then be cleaned, refurbished and donated to local people in need in Palm Beach County. Today, Clinics Can Help serves more than 1,200 clients per year. With the support of the community, they hope to continue to grow that number.

To learn more about the organization, and ways you can get involved, or if you are in need of medical equipment of supplies, please visit www.clinicscanhelp.org or call (561) 640-2995.

 About Clinics Can Help

Clinics Can Help is a nonprofit organization based in Palm Beach County that helps children and adults by redistributing surplus medical equipment and supplies to those in need. Through their support of free clinics, providing equipment to nursing schools, and the organization’s lending closet providing medical equipment to underserved patients, they are helping to enhance healthcare in the community. To learn more, visit www.clinicscanhelp.org or call (561) 640-2995.