About Us

Programs Support Independence

HELP renovates gently used medical equipment and makes it available to those in need at a fraction of the retail cost, enabling individuals to maintain independence in their own homes. The long-term care planning program accepts all Douglas/Sarpy county residents, regardless of income or age, including those covered by Medicaid.

Environmentally Friendly Recycling

HELP’s overhead costs are extremely low, with 93 cents of every dollar applied to our services. In addition, our environmentally friendly recycling program diverts thousands of pieces of medical equipment from landfills annually.

Our History

Founded by Dr. Ross Robson of First Presbyterian Church of Omaha, HELP began as a mission described in his May 1982 document, “Toward an Intentional Future.” With a goal of helping underserved elderly and low-income people remain independent and safe in their own homes, the document became reality on October 22, 1982, under the name of Presbyterian Metropolitan Ministries of Omaha.

Supported by fellow philanthropists Marjorie Kiewit, Willis Strauss and other community leaders, the organization grew into a separate nonprofit in 1986, and was renamed the Presbyterian Outreach Inc. in 1994. The concept of a health equipment loan program originated with the Rev. Sidney J. Raymond of Florence Presbyterian Church Omaha. Evolving from a makeshift office in the First Presbyterian church boiler room to an organization partnering with numerous medical, social and service organizations, in 2008 the Presbyterian Outreach became HELP Adult Services: A Presbyterian Community Outreach and subsequently relocated to the Center Mall on 42^nd and Center streets.

In addition to seniors, today’s thriving nonprofit 501c3 has expanded its services to include adults and teenagers, serving more than 7,000 people in eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. The organization was renamed HELP
(Health Equipment and Long-Term Planning) in 2018 to reflect its current mission of providing low-cost medical equipment rentals and long-term care planning for in-home support, assisted living and nursing homes.