A team from St. Mary Medical Center visited this past fall to tour both MERP facilities. St. Mary Medical Center is a 373 bed facility located in Langhorne, PA, just outside of Philadelphia.
In 2012, a MERP coordinator and the UPMC Horizon Hospital director of volunteer services gave a presentation about our MERP program at a national conference. The St. Mary Medical Center staff just so happened to be at the conference, heard the presentation and thought, “We could do that too!” They were so excited about our MERP program’s successes that they returned to Langhorne and immediately began the long process that would lead to their own medical equipment re-use program. Four years later, they are almost ready to loan out their first piece of equipment! For now, their medical equipment re-use program will be run out of their St. Mary Thrift Store right in the downtown. A grand opening is scheduled for February 1, 2016.
They wanted to visit our facilities so they could see our processes and ask questions. During their two-day visit, many ideas and suggestions were exchanged. “This is going to be a very beneficial partnership for both parties. We are extremely excited that another hospital wants to emulate what we have developed!” stated Kateri Linn. We wish them much luck in this exciting endeavor.
