Medical Equipment, Supplies and Services
Disclaimer: These resources are regularly reviewed to ensure that links still work correctly and the resources listed continue to be helpful to our visitors. If you find that a link isn't working or information is incorrect or if you'd like to have your own organization listed here, please email thedirectory@lls.org.
Because we want to be sure that our visitors find the most relevant resources, we've listed these organizations in order of relevancy from most specifically relevant to most generally relevant to the topic of this page.
2-1-1
Population served: Everyone in the United States (check the website for availability in your area)
2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Services vary from community to community.
Examples of service referrals include:
- Basic human need resources: food banks, clothing, shelters, rent assistance and utility assistance
- Physical and mental health resources: medical information lines, crisis intervention services, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention
- Employment support: unemployment benefits, financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance and education programs
- Support for older Americans and persons with disabilities: home healthcare, adult daycare, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, transportation and homemaker services
- Support for children, youth and families: childcare, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring and protective services
Find a Health Center
Contact: (888) 275-4772
Population served: Anyone with or without health insurance coverage seeking non-emergent medical care in the United States
Find a Health Center is a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration. It provides listings of health clinics that offer general medical services. Patients pay what they can afford based on income. Each center provides different services which may include:
- Check-ups for adults and children including treatment and immunizations
- Dental care and prescription drugs
- Mental health and substance abuse care
Survivorship A-Z
Population served: People in the United States, diagnosed with cancer and/or HIV, who need assistance in obtaining information concerning health insurance, employment issues and other areas of need
Survivorship A-Z is a web-based resource for information and referral.
- Provides a tool that asks a series of questions of the individual patient to then offer personalized information to address specific patient needs such as emotional well-being, financial resources, information about legal and insurance issues
- Offers online Community Message Boards on a variety of topics
- Provides information on a variety of issues relating to disease and "life after diagnosis"
American Cancer Society (ACS)
Contact: (800) 227-2345
Population served: Patients needing medical equipment in the United States
ACS provides assistance to cancer patients and their caregivers with information about diseases, financial support, support groups, lodging and medical equipment. ACS has local chapters in the United States to provide assistance within the community.
- Provides ACS Navigator within local chapters who can arrange for durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers and beds
Cancer Survivor's Fund (CSF)
Contact: (281) 437-7142
Population served: U.S. residents who are high school graduates of any age diagnosed with cancer and/or cancer survivors
CSF provides college scholarships and prosthetics to persons diagnosed with cancer, receiving treatment for cancer or in remission from cancer.
- Provides scholarship funds to enable people to start and/or continue their college education
- Provides financial help for the prosthetic needs of patients with cancer
- Provides counseling and emotional support
- Encourages cancer survivors to become volunteers to support other people diagnosed with cancer
Cancer Fund of America, Inc.
Contact: (800) 578-5284
Population served: Patients with cancer living in the United States
Cancer Fund of America helps cancer patients, hospices and other nonprofit healthcare providers by sending products directly to them free of charge.
Various items are available, such as:
- Adult diapers
- Bed pads
- Cold and pain medications
- Liquid dietary supplements
- Exam gloves
- Lotions and ointments
- Crutches
- Dressings
- Personal hygiene kits
- Other essential care products
Chariots of Hope
Contact: (860) 242-4673
Population served: Patients needing a wheelchair, worldwide
Chariots of Hope provides a means of mobility to confined individuals through the recycling and worldwide distribution of used wheelchairs, at no cost to recipients.
- Provides wheelchairs (not powered wheelchairs) that have been donated and repaired
- Requests for a wheelchair can be made online or over the phone
- For international needs, an organization within the country needs to arrange for the wheelchair
First Hand Foundation
Contact: (816) 201-1569
Population served: Children 18 and under with health-related needs (any diagnosis) worldwide
First Hand Foundation helps children with health-related needs when insurance and other financial resources have been exhausted.
- Offers mission-based grants to other nonprofit organizations
- Partners with medical mission organizations to provide medical skills and medications
- Provides assistance to children who are under the care of a doctor, have a specific need and have no insurance coverage
Medicare
Contact: (800) 633-4227
Population served: U.S. legal residents over 65 and disabled needing medical equipment
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administers Medicare, the United States' largest health insurance program, which covers people age 65 and older, some disabled people under age 65 and people of all ages with end-stage renal disease.
- Provides a search tool for home healthcare agencies in different states or counties
- Provides a search engine to find suppliers of durable medical equipment and supplies
Dental Lifeline Network
Contact: (303) 534-5360
Population served: Needy disabled, elderly or medically compromised individuals in the United States
The NFDH makes oral health care accessible to individuals through collaborations with dental care providers.
- The Donated Dental Services program coordinates access to dental services (contact information for coordinators is available through a state-by-state search tool on website)
- Provides dental house calls for homebound patients in Chicago, Denver and the state of New Jersey
The Children's Leukemia Research Association, Inc.
Contact: (516) 222-1944
Population served: Children and adults with leukemia in the United States
The Children's Leukemia Research Assoc., Inc., also known as National Leukemia Research Association, is dedicated to raising funds to support research efforts toward a cure for leukemia.
- Offers a financial aid program which assists with laboratory fees, chemotherapy and medication expenses
Starkey Hearing Foundation
800-328-8602 (please ask for the HEAR NOW Program)
Population served: people needing hearing aids who are permanent residents of the United States and who meet the Foundation?s eligibility criteria
The Foundation?s HEAR NOW program delivers approximately 100,000 hearing aids annually through hearing missions in countries stretching from the U.S. to Vietnam. Since 2000, the Foundation has supplied more than 500,000 hearing aids to people in need.
HEAR NOW is a program that assists those who are deaf or hard of hearing and have no other resources to acquire hearing aids. This program can provide hearing aids to those people who:
- have no other resource available to them. HEAR NOW is a program of last resort. HEAR NOW will review the patient?s alternate resources such as family support, insurance, state Medicaid program, vocational rehabilitation, school district, VA, church groups, state or local programs when determining eligibility. Please call the HEAR NOW office to check your eligibility.
- Only those who fall within the program guidelines for income, assets and hearing loss can be considered for assistance. The current non-refundable processing fee with the application is $125 per hearing aid requested.
EyeCare America
877-887-6327
Population served: U.S. citizens or legal residents of the United States who are without an eye doctor and who do not belong to an HMO or do not have eye care coverage through the Veterans Administration.
EyeCare America, a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, provides eye care through volunteer ophthalmologists at no cost to those who qualify.
- Senior Eye Care Program: Those who are age 65 or older and who have not seen an eye doctor in three of more years may be eligible to receive a comprehensive, medical eye exam and up to one year of care at no out-of-pocket cost for any disease diagnosed during the initial exam. Volunteer ophthalmologists will waive co-payments, accepting Medicare and /or other insurance reimbursement as payment in full: patients without insurance receive this care at no charge.
- Glaucoma Program: Those who are determined to be at increased risk for glaucoma (by age, race and family history) and have not had an eye exam in 12 months or more may be eligible to receive a free glaucoma eye exam if they are uninsured. Those with insurance will be billed for the exam and are responsible for any co-payments. The initiation of treatment is provided, if deemed necessary by the doctor during the exam.
SERVICES NOT COVERED:
- Additional services necessary for your care such as, hospitals, surgical facilities, anesthesiologists and medications, are beyond the scope of EyeCare America services. The ophthalmologist is a volunteer who agrees to provide only services within these program guidelines.
EYEGLASSES ARE NOT COVERED:
- Some eye conditions may affect vision as though eyeglasses are needed, when what is actually needed is the medical care of an ophthalmologist, and not eyeglasses. EyeCare America provides this medical eye care, only. The program does not provide eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglass/refraction exams (the prescription part of exam) or cover the cost of glasses. If you are concerned about the cost of these items, please discuss this with the doctor BEFORE the examination.
ADDITIONAL REFERRALS:
If your doctor indicates that you require a "re-referral" to another ophthalmologist, you or the EyeCare America ophthalmologist MUST contact EyeCare America in order to continue receiving care through the program. EyeCare America may be able to arrange for an EyeCare America volunteer specialist to provide the care.
