St. Louis HELP provides durable medical equipment to anyone regardless of income
The Rural Parish Clinic, a mobile medical clinic providing health care services to uninsured and underinsured people in rural communities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, is partnering with the St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (HELP) to provide free durable medical equipment to its patients.
The clinic will work with patients to identify and obtain equipment on an as-needed basis from St. Louis HELP, which provides free wheelchairs, walkers, canes, hospital beds and other durable medical equipment to anyone regardless of income.
The new partnership is an expansion of the clinic’s mission to address the mind, body and spirit of patients, said Marissa McFarland, Rural Parish Clinic community outreach coordinator. “This is a greater expansion of that care,” she said. With access to a full-service primary care clinic, patients have “a one-stop shop to get the best level of care possible. We’re trying to do the same thing with medical equipment. St. Louis HELP makes it really simple and allows us to get it to the patient quicker than ever.”
The partnership supports the health care needs in two of the poorest counties in the Archdiocese of St. Louis — Washington and St. Francois — along with Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, Franklin and Lincoln counties. The 40-foot mobile clinic began in 2019 at St. Joachim Parish in Old Mines in Washington County, and through its expansion to other locations, it has provided more than 3,700 medical and dental visits to individuals who do not have access to insurance or resources and would otherwise go without care.
Through partnerships with community health organizations, the clinic provides on-site collaborative services including colorectal, mammograms, vision screenings and mental health services. In 2026, the Rural Parish Clinic is expanding its services to Warrenton in Warren County and a second location in Farmington in St. Francois County.
The partnership with St. Louis HELP already has produced tangible results, including providing several CPAP machines. One of them went to a young mother in her 40s whose health was at risk.
“They were very concerned her heart was going to give out, and she had young children,” St. Louis HELP executive director Karen Lanter said. “The Rural Parish Clinic then picked up the item from us and got it to her.”
St. Louis HELP has served more than 10,000 people since 2019. In addition to its newly formed partnership with the Rural Parish Clinic, the organization provides durable medical equipment through a distribution network including its headquarters in Olivette and six other locations in St. Louis City and County, Jefferson County and St. Charles County.
Nearly half of HELP recipients earn $20,000 or less annually, and about 68% are age 65 or older, Lanter said. Most frequently requested items have included wheelchairs, shower and bathing equipment (often not covered by Medicare or Medicaid), pediatric adaptive equipment and hospital beds — critical for helping individuals remain safely in their homes, she said.
“We accept equipment and give it out as many times as needed,” Lanter said. “It’s neighbor helping neighbor and we’re delighted to help (the clinic).”
