Mercy Health Foundation Irvine

Associate donations ensure patients have all the tools they need in long-term healing.

When physical and occupational therapists at Mercy Health — Marcum and Wallace Hospital requested new wheelchairs to aid in patient care, associate donations were there to help answer that call.

“We needed additional wheelchairs to accommodate our patient population,” recalled Christal Johnson, occupational therapist.

“If we are working on endurance so a patient can walk further, for safety we need a wheelchair behind them,” physical therapist Randy Calico said. “When they walk a distance and get tired, they know they have a chair that’s behind them if they need to sit down.”

Christal knows that for many patients, rehab care means preparing them for life after their hospital stay and said the wheelchairs are helping them to accomplish those goals.

“These wheelchairs are very helpful in training for sliding board transfers, for caregiver training, and to help patients be as independent as possible when they leave here. We are just grateful that the Foundation’s support provided such a great tool for us.”