KANSAS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE ARTICLE – KANSAS FUNERAL DIRECTORS MAGAZINE 7/20/07 FINAL EQUIPMENT FOR INDEPENDENCE A child in north central Kansas who cannot stand needs a shower chair. A woman in western Kansas, who is sleeping in a recliner because of her inability to lie flat, has requested an electric bed. A student at Wichita State needs devices to help with his visual disability. A man in southeast Kansas has asked for equipment to assist with a communications disorder. The Kansas Equipment Exchange (KEE) was launched in 2003 to meet such demands from Kansans with disabilities. Kansas Medicaid and Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK), a program of the University of Kansas, created the program to redistribute used “durable medical equipment” and other assistive technology. Assistive technology (AT) is any product or service that enables persons with disabilities to live, study and work more independently. AT includes items such as wheelchairs, patient lifts, gait trainers and computer-assisted devices that enable people to live independently. Funeral directors in Kansas often know families and individuals who have equipment that was used by a recently deceased family member. “Funeral directors are good referral sources for us,” said Patty Moore, Expanding Reuse Coordinator for ATK. “They understand how donating a shower chair or an electric bed can help a grieving family,” she said. Howard “Shorty” Olehy of Parsons received a power scooter through Kansas Equipment Exchange. Severe arthritis and an asthmatic condition greatly restricts his mobility. For 17 years Shorty was a Salvation Army chaplain, ministering to recovering alcoholics in Florida. The Salvation Army supplied him with a rented power chair for most of that time. When he retired to Kansas in 2006, he did not have the resources to purchase a mobile chair of his own. Shorty lives in a low-income high rise, and although he is proud of his apartment, he had felt somewhat trapped. He had to rely on a walker to leave his apartment. The effort required to walk, even with the walker, quickly taxed his respiratory system. He has a car, but was often too exhausted to drive by the time he reached it. Essentially, he couldn’t go outside his building without assistance. A member of Shorty’s church suggested that he submit a request to the Kansas Equipment Exchange. Assistive Technology for Kansans administers the program through five regional AT Access Sites. These sites process donated equipment, either through existing equipment loan banks or faith-based organizations that have partnered with ATK. Olehy spoke to the staff at the southeast Kansas site and explained his disability. That was in the late fall of 2006. “I’d forgotten all about it when they called me,” the 70-year-old Olehy recalls. The Equipment Exchange had a power scooter available. It was delivered to him in mid-April, about six months after he applied. “It’s been a lifesaver for me,” he says with a broad grin. The power scooter improved Shorty’s ability to get around independently. “Now I can go downtown, attend concerts at the municipal building and go to church. It’s a blessing for someone on a fixed income and I am grateful.” Not everyone who applies to KEE receives equipment, and those who do may endure a lengthy wait, depending on the item needed. Many requests are filled immediately, but the average wait for stock items is about three months, subject to multiple variables. A few applicants for specialized items have been on a list for more than two years. The six-month wait that Howard Olehy experienced was shorter than for most scooter applicants because he could use a lighter model. Bariatric models of scooters, power chairs and beds, for example, are in very short supply. Generally, the more specific the equipment request, the longer the wait. Like all of the items that are distributed through the Equipment Exchange, Shorty’s power scooter was a reconditioned unit. Beginning in June of 2002, all durable medical equipment purchased by Medicaid is loaned to the recipient for as long as it is needed. When an individual no longer needs the item, it is returned to the Equipment Exchange. The device or equipment is then refurbished and loaned to another Kansan who needs it. This process is not limited to equipment originally purchased by Medicaid. Donated items are essential to the Equipment Exchange program. When the Equipment Exchange officially began in April 2003, applications quickly outstripped both reclaimed Medicaid items and the first wave of donated equipment. “We always have more requests than we can fill,” said Moore. “This is particularly frustrating because there are home care beds, wheelchairs and positioning devices that are like new sitting in attics and garages.” Still, the program has some notable success stories. One child in central Kansas who received a positioning device to help her stand was one of the first Equipment Exchange recipients. This spring her family applied for and received a patient’s lift to help move her from her bed to her wheelchair. In the four years between these two events, the Kansas Equipment Exchange grew from a fledgling project to a recognized innovation that has been adapted by three other states and is under consideration by another nine states. Since its inception the program has saved Kansas taxpayers more than $2 million. Kansas Equipment Exchange has realized an increased supply of equipment, both from Medicaid reclamations and donations. But there have also been increased demands. Kansas Medicaid purchases approximately $10 million in equipment each year. While not all durable equipment can be reused, an estimated one-third of Medicaid purchases will eventually be eligible. As the population ages, equipment demand is projected to increase. Meanwhile, the program continues efforts to locate and redistribute unused equipment. Other categories of AT devices are being added, too. “With the increased concerns about electronic waste, we’ve added PDAs, hearing aids, navigational/GPS systems and electronic communication devices to our list. ATK’s Expanding Reuse Project will collect serviceable used items and pass them to eligible persons with disabilities,” Moore explained. The Expanding Reuse Program has specifically targeted Palm Pilots and HP IPAQs, Tom Tom and Garmin navigational systems, and Chat PC and Tech Talk communication devices. But the greatest demand is still for durable medical equipment, which creates an opportunity for funeral directors to get involved. Moore explains that surviving family members may want to remove equipment that reminds them of their loss, but they don’t know what to do with it. “Donating to Equipment Exchange is a positive action. There’s a teenager in southeast Kansas whose mother can bathe her and dress her for school using a trapeze lift that was donated to Equipment Exchange by the family of a teenager who died,” Moore said. The ATK Access Site for each region can be reached by calling 1-800-526-3648. Persons calling to donate equipment will be asked to describe their item or items. The program is seeking higher quality equipment that has been lightly used or can be readily restored to “like new” condition. Once the access site has qualified the equipment, arrangements can be made to have it picked up and delivered to a location where it can be refurbished. Equipment vendors who are certified to repair specific manufacturers’ models refurbish the majority of the equipment. These “partners” evaluate the donated items to confirm that they can be successfully restored to a high quality condition. Only after a piece of equipment has been approved by a vendor is it available through the Kansas Equipment Exchange. “The process is designed to identify items that can be easily refurbished and reassigned to a Kansan who needs them,” said Moore. To date, over 1,700 pieces of durable medical equipment have been donated to the Equipment Exchange from private and public sources. Over 80% of these items were reconditioned and returned to use. “It’s just as important to tell people who may need equipment about the program as it is to seek out equipment donations,” Moore said. “We’re delighted with the referrals we’ve had from funeral directors around the state and look forward to their continued involvement.” The Kansas Equipment Exchange is a statewide project guided by individuals with disabilities, family members and Medicaid. It is affiliated with Assistive Technology for Kansans, a program coordinated by the University of Kansas Center on Disabilities at Parsons.