The Medical Equipment Lending Society of West Central Alberta

The intent of developing The M.E.L. Society is to provide for our West Central Alberta residents/clients home health equipment at a minimal charge that can be loaned out to them to be used as tools and aids that support and encourage active participation in our community and to help people remain in their homes longer. The office is open four days a week and is operated by a paid Executive Director and a slate of wonderful volunteers.

The M.E.L. Society came about when Alberta Health Services put in place a policy that had all the medical equipment that had previously been lent out to clients through the Home Care Program no longer an active program. The Directive to Facilities was to gather all their equipment and send it to a lending program that operated as a not for profit in Red Deer Alberta and also to the Red Cross Organization in the rest of the province.

If this had happened, all people from within the West Central Alberta would have had to travel to Red Deer to obtain needed equipment. This would have created a significant hardship for many people and, as a result, it became the goal of some dedicated individuals to keep the equipment within Rocky Mountain House and West Central Alberta.

On October 6th, 2016 The Medical Equipment Lending Society of West Central Alberta (known as The M.E.L. Society) officially opened its doors to the public. It is a Society that is dependent on volunteers, grant monies, corporate sponsorship and private donations to maintain its operations and keep its doors open. The M.E.L. Society currently operates out of a bay located in the town of Rocky Mountain House.