WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — On a cold and rainy Wednesday in January, a small group of University of Utah students spent hours of their winter break transferring roughly 400 medical devices from a storage facility in West Valley City, and then loading them into two small trucks.
The students, who comprise the nonprofit Project Embrace, spent the last few months collecting the used devices from community members and groups.
Part of their work involves cleaning each piece of equipment and refurbishing the ones that need repair before they’re given away.
For an upcoming trip, Project Embrace will travel to a Navajo Reservation in southern Utah. This will be their fourth visit to that location in just over three years.
“People will drive out to Moab, people will go out and go see the Red Rocks and have a great time. Travel 50 more miles, and I promise you, people are dying of starvation, and from the pandemic, and they need this stuff,” said Mohan Sudabatulla, cofounder and CEO of Project Embrace.
Sudabatulla said the pandemic has ravaged a population that was already more detached and underserved than others.
“Healthcare is such a needlessly complicated conversation, but really it’s as simple as a budget truck and a handful of college students to make a difference,” said Sudabatulla.
Project Embrace will accept donations from anyone, so if those interested in giving away crutches, walkers, canes, wheelchairs, shower benches and more can click here to donate.
