Makerspace takes on medical equipment

The Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation is expanding its Creation Nation Makerspace by launching a new program to repurpose gently used medical equipment.

The new program will refurbish used equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs, walkers and other non-electronic medical equipment, and resell them at a discounted cost.

While the program isn’t fully operational yet, the organization already has a stock of medical gear from community members, basements and hospitals, said BNRC executive director Karra Burney.

“By donating it here, it’s going to get back into the hands of someone in need at a small fraction of the cost, and we’re keeping it in rotation where it’s not going to just be a piece in a landfill,” Burney said.

In a news release Friday, the province announced $100,000 in grant funding for the expansion.

The project is expected to cost $141,574 and is still in the collection process.

The BNRC makerspace is a 24-7 workshop with tools and resources that members can access with a monthly paid fee.

The space features 3D printers, hand-held power tools, sewing machines, computer numerical control (CNC) machines, a recording studio and more.

It also offers classes and mentorship opportunities for community makers.

Membership fees range from $30 to $60, and in order to keep rates low, the BNRC looked for another way to sustain the tools and equipment in the makerspace, Burney said.

“We want to keep those monthly memberships at a low cost. We needed to find something that would supplement that income, so this new social enterprise will do that,” she said.

“Makers can come in and donate time to help refurbish these materials under someone who is red seal,” Burney said.

“They’re going to teach them how to do that, oversee it, and then they get a portion of their membership fee knocked off for giving back.”

Burney said team members are currently being trained and the new co-ordinator of the makerspace, Tim Daigle, is already organizing and putting together the restoration space.

“At first, it’s just going to be: look at the chair. Is anything missing? Here’s a picture of a wheelchair. Do you see anything obviously missing? Anything obviously broken? And after that point, here’s a wrench and take it apart,” Daigle said.

“The big thing that I’m looking forward to is having, you know, 100 or 200 chairs around, because volunteers with a stock of this size will be very difficult to keep them busy,” he said.

So far, the small collection of wheelchairs and other medical equipment has come from individuals who donated it or, in one situation, was picked up on the way to the dump.

Burney said there is still more equipment to come, with at least 60 chairs waiting to be collected from a medical clinic.

While no date has been set, Burney said the BNRC will hold a grand opening to celebrate the launch of the space.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com