Church helps found medical equipment loan closet

A North Carolina Episcopal church has been instrumental in the founding of a loan closet for medical equipment. The goal is to help those too young for Medicare, not poor enough for Medicaid, but not otherwise insured. For those groups of people, the cost of durable medical equipment, such as crutches, can be prohibitive. Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet will offer 90-day loans of a wide range of equipment, from shower benches to hospital beds. The project is named after Rev. Lyn Stabler-Tibbett, former rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Mount Airy, NC. She started the initiative, before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and having to step back. Other members of Trinity Church continued her work. Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet is partially funded by a grant from the Diocese of North Carolina, and is based on a similar program in Hendersonville, run by St. James Episcopal Church.