Local Organizations Make Home Medical Equipment Available to Those in Need
Saturday, April 1, 2023
By Fran Jackson Farias

Dawson County (April 10, 2023) - Thanks to a collaborative effort among several community organizations, home medical equipment (HME) will be available to those in need in North Georgia. Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC), a statewide non-profit organization in Tucker, provides medical equipment and services to adults and children with disabilities. A collaborative effort between Executive director Chris Brand and Big Canoe Rotary President Fran Farias started last fall.  Together with Big Canoe Rotary, Dawson County Rotary and Good Shepherd, we have set up The North Georgia Mountains Home Medical Equipment Collection Center. The dedication date was April 18 at 4pm at the Good Shepherd Parking lot. 

Big Canoe Rotary project chair, Dawn Clay, and Dawson County Rotary Club project chair, Patty Kurz, are organizing the project. The bulk storage container measuring 8 feet by 20 feet was delivered on February 16 by FODAC to the Good Shepherd Clinic parking lot. The Rotary Clubs’ goal is to encourage other North Georgia Rotary Clubs to collaborate or establish a similar medical recycling project to help people access HME. The container is located near the crossroads of Georgia State Routes 53 and 400, in Dawsonville.

The project works this way:

To Donate HME: Items such as wheelchairs, rollators, and shower seats are collected for distribution by Rotarians who pick up items or coordinate drop off sites. For information to donate please call 470-789-0918. The gently used (HME) is inspected, sanitized, and stored for distribution in the bulk storage container. Equipment needing repair will be picked up by FODAC for refurbishment and distribution.
         
To Request HME: Individuals and agencies such as hospitals, clinics, social workers, area agencies on aging and centers for independent living can make a request by emailing [email protected]. Rotarians then work to meet that need with the clean, gently used HME item.

Big Canoe Rotary partnered with The Big Canoe Community hosting 4 home medical equipment drives on “Bulk Trash Days”: January 28, April 29, July 29, October 28. 

For more information about the project contact Big Canoe Rotary or Dawson County Rotary or to donate:  email [email protected] or call 470-789-0918.