CARE Chest, located at 7910 N. Virginia St., in Reno, is a Nevada nonprofit that provides medical resources—including equipment, supplies, prescription assistance and independent-living home modifications—free of charge. The acronym stands for Community Assistance Resource Endowment. Since the group was founded 34 years ago by three local pharmacists who saw a need, CARE Chest has provided nearly 600,000 unique consumer services to the community. Anne McNulty is the group’s executive director.
What services do you offer?
CARE Chest is a well-established resource for health care professionals, social workers and individuals in need of medical equipment and supplies they would otherwise go without. CARE Chest serves individuals who are at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. (We offer) medical equipment and supplies, and durable medical equipment is loaned for as long as it is needed, and one-time-use supplies can be re-ordered monthly for consumers who qualify. If consumers do not qualify because their monthly income is too high, they may enroll in Club CARE Chest for an annual $50 membership.
CARE Chest provides up to $300 per consumer annually to pay for prescription medication … or to help with copays. CARE Chest’s diabetic-supplies program distributes testing supplies monthly with a prescription, including blood-glucose monitors, test strips, syringes and lancets. CARE Chest provides doctor-prescribed supplemental medical nutrition such as Ensure, Glucerna, Pediasure and (Breakfast Essentials). CARE Chest provides assistive technology and helps individuals modify their homes and vehicles for accessibility and independence. We also administer a low-interest loan program to fund similar projects.
Through Mobile CARE Chest and Rural Outreach, we take our traditional programming into the community monthly, serving more consumers closer to where they live and work. We partner with organizations such as Three Square, Hope for the City, New Beginnings, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Catholic Charities, senior centers and (others) to meet potential consumers closer to home, at the same time and same location with other social-service agencies. This makes it easier for consumers who often experience transportation barriers to access various life-changing services. We travel to 43 outreach locations to distribute services, conduct education and gather valuable data that helps us better serve those in need.
Who are your clients? Who do you help the most?
CARE Chest consumers are typically Nevada residents living at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. In addition to our headquarters in Reno on North Virginia Street, CARE Chest also has a second office in Las Vegas and travels to more than 40 communities and community-based locations across the state of Nevada each month to distribute our programs closer to where our consumers live and work.
I hear that you have a new addition to your building.
We are currently under construction. The project—when completed in late April or early May—is an addition to the existing building that will make it easier for consumers to pick up their equipment and supplies, and a new nearly 5,000-square-foot warehouse. The new space will give us almost 7,500 square feet of storage space to house equipment and supplies.
What event do you have in April?
The Bill Kahl Community Challenge begins on April 22 and concludes on Sunday, April 28. Each April, teams from across Nevada compete for the Bill Kahl Community Challenge Trophy as they raise funds to help meet the demand for medical equipment and supplies.
How can the public help?
Form a team, and compete for the coveted Bill Kahl Community Challenge trophy. All proceeds go directly to support CARE Chest’s medical resource programming. (Learn more at www.carechest.org/bkcc.)