Health & Fitness
St. Louis HELP Opens Women's Center Offering Free Loans of Prosthetic Breasts, Bras and Wigs
The Women's Center mission is to help women who have suffered from cancer, related treatments or surgery keep their dignity and self-esteem
June 16, 2016, St. Louis, Missouri…The St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (St. Louis HELP) has opened The Women’s Center to offer free loans of wigs, bras and prosthetic breasts for women who are victims of breast cancer.
“The Women’s Center mission is to help women who have suffered from cancer, related treatments or surgery keep their dignity and self-esteem with free loans of crucial items,” says Laura Cannon-Singer, executive director of the nonprofit St. Louis HELP organization.
The Women’s Center recently opened at St. Louis HELP’s home health equipment warehouse at 9709 Dielman Rock Island Industrial Drive in Olivette.
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“All items in The Women’s Center are in excellent condition; otherwise, we would not make them available,” says Cannon-Singer. It is situated in a privately screened-off area near a restroom, and is staffed by a St. Louis HELP female volunteer. The Center is equipped with a conversion chart for sizing prosthetic breasts and prosthetic support bras for correct use.
St. Louis HELP collects, cleans, reconditions and revitalizes gently used home health equipment and then loans it for free to anyone who needs it for as long as they need it. Cannon-Singer founded the organization in 2008.
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In addition to The Women’s Center, the warehouse contains hundreds of home health equipment items including manual and electric wheelchairs; scooters; walkers, crutches, canes; hospital beds; portable commodes; elevated toilet seats; lift chairs — and more — all freely loaned by St. Louis HELP at no cost or obligation.
The Women’s Center is open every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment only. Call (314) 567-4700 to schedule a visit.
“The Women’s Center is a new service for St. Louis HELP and we are extremely proud to provide it,” Cannon-Singer says.
Every year, St. Louis HELP assists more than 5,500 people and their caregivers by providing the home medical equipment they desperately need. Much of that equipment is donated by people to St. Louis HELP because they know it makes a positive difference in other peoples’ lives.
“In 2015 we loaned 5,570 health equipment items for free to people suffering from illness, injury or a disability -- they didn’t have the medical equipment they need because they can’t afford it or insurance won’t cover it,” says Laura Cannon-Singer.
All equipment donations to St. Louis HELP are tax deductible. “We collect about 11,000 items of donated home health equipment annually,” Cannon-Singer says. “We revitalize it for loans or recycle it all. If any equipment is not good enough for your grandmother to use, we won’t loan it out,” she says.
St. Louis HELP is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. For free loans of home health equipment or to donate health equipment you don’t need, call St. Louis HELP at 314.567.4700 or see the website http://www.stlhelp.org.
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