Project MEND to build larger facility at the Medical Center
Lauren Caruba Oct. 30, 2018 Updated: Oct. 30, 2018 8:28 p.m.
1of5Project MEND outlined plans Tuesday to construct a new facility, shown in this rendering, at the Medical Center. The 18,000-square-foot building will be second largest medical equipment reuse facility in the U.S. and the largest in Texas.Photo: Courtesy of Project MEND
2of5Project MEND outlined plans Tuesday to construct a new facility, shown in this rendering, at the Medical Center. The 18,000-square-foot building will be second largest medical equipment reuse facility in the U.S. and the largest in Texas, the nonprofit said.Photo: Courtesy of Project MEND
3of5Rick Garza, left, Mario Ochoa and Manuel Becker unpacked supplies at Project MEND on Aug. 15, 2018. The nonprofit provides refurbished medical equipment and assistive technology to people with disabilities who can't afford the equipment or whose insurance won't cover it.Photo: Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer
4of5Project MEND's warehouse on Austin Street is full of donated equipment on Aug. 15, 2018. The nonprofit is raising money for a larger, new facility at the Medical Center.Photo: Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer
5of5Joe Talamantez, left, and Mario Ochoa disassemble a donated power chair to refurbish it at Project MEND on Aug. 15, 2018. Project Mend provides refurbished medical equipment and assistive technology devices to people with disabilities who can't afford the equipment or whose insurance can't cover it.Photo: Billy Calzada /Staff Photographer
Project MEND, a nonprofit that refurbishes medical equipment for people with disabilities, plans to build a new facility by the end of next year at the Medical Center.
The larger space — 18,000 square feet — will allow Project MEND to house more inventory of donated medical and assistive technology devices. The organization rehabilitates the equipment for people in need, including those who can't afford it or whose insurance can't cover it.
The building, expected to cost $2.5 million, will be constructed on land donated by developer GrayStreet Partners, which will demolish the organization's existing warehouse at 1201 Austin Street in the Government Hill area, east of the Pearl. GrayStreet is a major real estate developer in the fast-growing area.
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Project MEND said Tuesday it has launched a $3.2 million capital campaign. Already pledged are donations of $750,000 from the Kronkosky Foundation, plus $250,000 if the amount is matched; $500,000 from San Antonio philanthropist Harvey Najim; and $500,000 from Bexar County.
Project MEND said the building will be second largest medical equipment reuse facility in the U.S. and the largest in Texas. The announcement coincides with the organization's 25-year anniversary in Bexar County.
Lauren Caruba covers health care and medicine in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lcaruba@express-news.net | Twitter: @LaurenCaruba
Lauren Caruba
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Lauren Caruba has reported on health and medicine at the Express-News since September 2018. She has been a staff writer since late 2016, previously covering education and the fight for transgender rights.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Lauren has led the paper's medical coverage, detailing how the crisis is impacting the health care system and San Antonio community. She has embedded in COVID-19 units and emergency rooms across the city, observing and interviewing health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Her coverage has also delved into the virus' impact on patients and their families, including how the lack of hospital visitation has complicated end-of-life decisions.
Prior to joining the Express-News, she was an investigative fellow for the Houston Chronicle, where she focused on criminal justice and the environment. Lauren grew up in the Chicago suburbs and graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2015.
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