Donate Medical Equipment: What DME Reuse Programs Accept

This page describes products and general use; it is not medical advice.

Who this is for: households, clinic staff and organisations deciding where used durable medical equipment (DME) can go and what a reuse program will take. After reading you should be able to tell which items programs commonly accept or refuse, why a hospital bed is a special case, and what to ask before you drop anything off.

Short answer: used DME such as wheelchairs, rollators, shower chairs and transfer boards can often go to a state or university reuse program or a community loan closet, where it is sanitized, repaired and redistributed. Which items are accepted differs from program to program, so the first step is always to check that program’s own list.

Where to donate medical equipment

Two kinds of program publish their donation rules:

• State DME reuse programs. The Maryland Department of Aging’s DME Re-Use program says donated equipment “is sanitized, repaired, and redistributed to locations throughout Maryland for pickup.” It lists its accepted and refused items by name (source 1).
• University assistive-technology reuse programs. The University of Kansas Assistive Technology for Kansans (ATK) program, KEE-Reuse, says it accepts donations of durable medical equipment and other assistive technology, describes its items as refurbished, and notes that availability “depends on current donations and may vary” (source 2).

Local loan closets, such as the Howard County Loan Closet that Maryland names as a collection site, are the physical places where equipment is collected and lent out. If your area has no program with a published list, the same questions in the “Before you donate” section below still apply. If you are a clinic that receives donations rather than gives them, see donated equipment for nonprofit clinics.

What DME reuse programs accept and refuse

The table compares the published lists of the two programs. Maryland publishes both an accepted and a refused list; Kansas publishes the kinds of equipment it has available and says it accepts donations of durable medical equipment.

Item	Maryland DME Re-Use	Kansas KEE-Reuse
Manual and transport wheelchairs	Accepted	Manual wheelchairs listed among available items
Rollators, canes, transfer boards, tub transfer benches	Accepted	Not listed by name
Shower chairs	Accepted	Listed among available items
Hoyer lifts, sit-to-stands, standing frames	Accepted	Patient lifts listed among available items
Power wheelchairs and power scooters	Accepted, but not at the Columbia (Howard County Loan Closet) site	Power wheelchairs listed among available items
Home health care / hospital beds	Not accepted	Electric and semi-electric hospital beds listed among available items
Walkers, crutches, bedside commodes	Not accepted	Not listed by name
CPAP/BiPAP, oxygen and respiratory equipment, oxygen tanks and regulators, suction machines	Not accepted	Not listed by name
Lift chairs, orthopedic braces, upholstered items	Not accepted	Not listed by name
Incontinence and disposable supplies	Not accepted	Not listed by name

Sources: Maryland Department of Aging (source 1) and University of Kansas ATK (source 2), checked 2026-10-30. Each page describes its own program only; another program may differ.

Maryland also states that heavily corroded and heavily soiled equipment is not accepted, and tells donors to contact the local collection center for instructions.

Can I donate a hospital bed?

Sometimes. Programs disagree: Maryland’s DME Re-Use program lists home health care and hospital beds as not accepted, while the Kansas program lists electric and semi-electric hospital beds among the items that may be available through its reuse program (“availability depends on current donations and may vary”). Ask the specific program before you arrange transport.

A hospital bed is also more than a frame. The US Food and Drug Administration describes a bed system as the bed frame, mattress and side rails, and says the system should be reassessed when components such as new bed rails or mattresses are changed or replaced, or when accessories are added or removed. For safety information and upgrades, the FDA advises contacting the bed manufacturer (source 3). The FDA page also notes that many consumer bed accessories, such as undermattress side rails or transfer poles, are not regulated by the FDA. The FDA page addresses entrapment risk in bed systems; it does not set rules for donating used beds.

How do DME reuse programs work?

Where the programs describe their process, it follows the same outline:

1. Collection. Donors bring equipment to a collection center or loan closet after checking the accepted list.
2. Sanitizing and repair. Maryland states that equipment is sanitized, repaired and redistributed; Kansas describes its items as refurbished. Ask the program about its cleaning, testing and repair methods if this matters to you.
3. Redistribution. Maryland provides equipment free to Marylanders with any illness, injury or disability, regardless of age or insurance coverage, with no prescription needed. Pickup is by appointment and items are not delivered.
4. Clinical input for complex items. For complex DME, Maryland requires a health care professional to complete part of the application “for the safety of the recipient.”

A donor who wants to know how a program handles warranty or responsibility for donated or reused equipment should ask the program directly.

Before you donate

• Check the program’s current accepted and refused lists; they are specific by item, and Maryland’s refused list includes common items such as walkers and bedside commodes.
• Ask which collection site takes your item; Maryland names a site that does not take power chairs or scooters.
• Do not bring heavily corroded or heavily soiled equipment where the program says it cannot accept it.
• Keep manuals, original parts and accessories with the item, and tell the program which components you are donating.
• If the equipment is no longer wanted by your organisation, see equipment decommissioning for the wider disposal picture, and obsolete medical supply inventory for supplies.

Common mistakes

• Assuming every program accepts the same items: Maryland refuses hospital beds that Kansas lists as available.
• Donating disposable or incontinence supplies to a DME program; Maryland lists these as not accepted.
• Leaving out which rails and mattress go with a donated bed, even though the FDA describes the frame, mattress and side rails as one bed system.
• Treating donation as the same thing as a rental decision. If you are weighing use of equipment at home, renting versus buying home medical equipment covers that separately.

FAQ

Where to donate medical equipment?

Start with a state DME reuse program, a university assistive-technology reuse program or a community loan closet near you, and read its accepted list first. Maryland’s Department of Aging and the University of Kansas ATK are two examples that publish their rules.

Can I donate a hospital bed?

It depends on the program. Maryland’s reuse program does not accept hospital beds; Kansas lists electric and semi-electric hospital beds among items it may have available. Ask before you deliver.

How do DME reuse programs work?

Donated equipment is collected, sanitized, repaired or refurbished, and redistributed. In Maryland it is free, needs no prescription, and is collected by appointment; complex DME needs a health care professional to complete part of the application.

Is there a warranty on donated equipment?

Ask the program directly. Warranty and responsibility terms for donated equipment are set by each program.

Sources

1. Maryland Department of Aging, DME Re-Use program: https://aging.maryland.gov/pages/DME.aspx (checked 2026-10-30).
2. University of Kansas, Assistive Technology for Kansans, KEE-Reuse: https://atk.ku.edu/2025-kansas-equipment-exchange-kee-reuse (checked 2026-10-30).
3. US Food and Drug Administration, HBSW/FDA Frequently Asked Questions on Entrapment Issues: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/hospital-beds/hbswfda-frequently-asked-questions-faq-entrapment-issues (checked 2026-10-30).