ST. LOUIS – Rural Parish Clinic of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, a rural health provider, is partnering with the area’s largest provider of free durable medical equipment to broaden outreach in St. Louis Metro’s outlying rural counties.  Rural Parish Clinic will connect those whom it serves in rural areas with the St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (HELP), which provides free wheelchairs, including pediatric wheelchairs, walkers, canes, hospital beds and other durable medical equipment to anyone regardless of income. The partnership aims to support healthcare needs in the two poorest counties in the St. Louis Archdiocese – Washington and St. Francois counties – along with Jefferson, St. Genevieve and Franklin counties.

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            “We are thrilled to collaborate with STLHELP to expand access to essential healthcare services in our rural communities. By combining our resources and expertise, Rural Parish Clinic and STLHELP can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve,” said Terri Cammarata, president and CEO, Rural Parish Clinic.

“The Rural Parish Clinic/St. Louis HELP partnership furthers our Southern Vicariate mission by enabling more intentional, strategic support for those in need in our rural communities,” noted George Herrera, director of social outreach, Southern Vicariate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

           Since its inception in 2019, Rural Parish Clinic 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, it provides on-site collaborative services like colorectal, mammography, and vision screenings, along with mental health services. Rural Parish Clinic currently provides services at eight host sites in six rural counties and is looking to expand its reach in 2026, opening new sites in Warrenton and Farmington.    

“We’ve had extraordinary success with our partnerships over the last two years, particularly our six strategically located network of distribution hubs,” noted Karen Lanter, executive director, St. Louis HELP.  “Rural Parish Clinic adds a mobile element that helps us identify and serve those most in need in outlying rural areas of St. Louis.”

            Rural Parish Clinic and its mobile clinic care visits will identify durable medical equipment needs that can be fulfilled by St. Louis HELP, including:

• Wheelchairs, both adult and pediatric;

• Walkers, crutches, canes;

• Reachers and grabbers;

• Toileting equipment;

• Lift chairs;

• Hoyer lifts;

• Hospital beds;

• Shower chairs/stools and tub transfer benches; and

• Shower, tub and wall grab bars;

This year St. Louis HELP is on track to serve a record number of people. Since 2019, it has served more than 10,000 people.  In addition to its newly formed partnership with Rural Parish Clinic, St. Louis HELP provides durable medical equipment through a distribution network of “HELP Hubs,” including:

• Love In Action Health & Wellness at 2350 S. 7th St., and 1413 N. 20th in St. Louis;

• Abiding Savior Lutheran Church at 4355 Butler Hill Rd. in Mehlville;

• Aging Ahead Senior Center at 225 Lemay Ferry Rd. in Lemay;

• St. Martin UCC at 3229 High Ridge Boulevard in High Ridge;

• St. Louis HELP headquarters at 9709 Dielman Rock Island Industrial Dr. in Olivette;

• St. Louis HELP at 302 Bailey Road in Crystal City, Mo.; and

• The Care Service at 4116 McClay Road in St. Charles, Mo.​

Call St. Louis HELP at 314-897-4357 or visit its web site at www.stlhelp.org to learn about days and hours of operation at the “HELP Hubs.”

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Founded in 2008 by Laura Cannon, St. Louis Health Equipment Lending Program (St. Louis HELP) is a 501(C)(3) charity dedicated to securing and providing, free-of-charge, the health equipment necessary to help people in need. Learn more at www.stlhelp.org.