Medical Loan Closet of Joplin Helped Over 2,000 People in 2025
When Nicole Watson opened Medical Loan Closet of Joplin in fall 2020, she was responding to a problem she encountered often in her work as a nurse. She learned that many patients who needed tube feeding could not get it covered.
“I found out that if people don’t need it for the long term, then typically insurance doesn’t cover,” she says. “Some insurances don’t cover it at all because they consider it food.”
That meant she was often the one delivering hard news to people who were already overwhelmed.
“I had to tell patients who were struggling with cancer, who had no appetite, who were throwing up and just couldn’t really get the nutrition they needed, that their insurance didn’t qualify.”
A social worker mentioned loan closets in other communities. Nicole thought it was a great idea, and it stuck with her.
“I thought that’s such an awesome concept that somebody else should do that,” she says. “But I sat on the idea for a couple of years and finally listened to a calling from God that I was supposed to start it.”
She began with a simple setup in her garage, thinking the need might be small.
“I had no idea the need was there,” she says. “Just because you’re in healthcare doesn’t mean you know about all the equipment people use at home. You only know what you know.”
What started with a few basic supplies soon grew far beyond anything she had pictured in those first months.
Today, the closet fills a 2,100-square-foot building with wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and an ever-changing collection of donated supplies.
“Everything we have has been donated. We don’t purchase anything,” she says. “When you look at it, you’re like, this is so cool. But then we think, what would have happened to all of this stuff if we weren’t here?”
People often express surprise at what the closet carries.
“I would say people are typically surprised when we say we have hospital beds and wheelchairs,” she says. “Because they’re such expensive items that people don’t expect a place like us to have them.”
Those pieces are among the most needed, especially for families caring for someone at home after a hospital stay.
There is no financial qualification process to use Medical Loan Closet equipment. Anyone may come.
“Sometimes programs with criteria can exclude people who are in a tough time and need help,” Nicole says. “Somebody who maybe nine times out of 10 doesn’t financially qualify, during this illness or event, needs the help.”
Because everything is donated, the closet gives items free of charge. Donations are welcome but never required.
“We don’t want someone to not get something because they don’t have the money,” she says.
The range of people served is wide. Some have no insurance. Many have insurance that does not cover what they need most.
“We have people who are referred to what I call underinsured,” Nicole says. She shares an example of two recent clients, one recovering from a serious car wreck and the other from spinal surgery.
“They have insurance, but essentially its major medical insurance. They weren’t going to be able to get any of the equipment they needed for their family to take care of them at home.”
The numbers show how often the closet fills that gap. By mid-December 2025, over 2,000 people had received more than 2,400 pieces of medical equipment in 2025. They’ve also given out thousands of disposable items. Wheelchairs remain among the most requested items. Walkers and bariatric equipment are always needed. The closet does not accept medications or needles, though.
Most families return the equipment to Joplin Medical Closet once the items are no longer needed. This ensures the closet is able to continue helping others.
Hearing from the people helps motivate Nicole and the volunteers. One family recently sent a message after receiving a bed for their mother, saying she hadn’t slept well in five years until then. Another woman came in for a sit-to-stand device for her husband, who uses a wheelchair and had not stood in eight years. Nicole remembers watching her carry it out, hopeful that it would change their life.
The operation runs almost entirely on volunteers, most of whom are retired residents who give their time because the mission resonates with them.
“We have some really amazing volunteers,” she says. “None of them, except for myself, are clinical. We are not expecting people to be experts in equipment.”
Volunteers greet families during open hours, sort donations, restock shelves, clean and help manage a constant flow of items in and out of the building. Nicole hopes to add more volunteers, even if someone can only come once a month.
“There are a lot of different opportunities,” she says.
Finances are an ongoing concern. The closet receives no steady external funding, and Nicole continues to work another job while running the organization.
“People love what we do,” she says. She recently hired a grant writer and is working with a larger board to plan fundraisers. Even small efforts help, such as a lemonade stand and raffles.
The closet doesn’t just help people in the Joplin area. Nicole often ships supplies to families in other states.
“I’ve shipped to like 14 different states,” she says. “People are contacting us, and it’s all things that if we didn’t find a home for, it would get wasted.”
Her long-term vision is to see loan closets grow, helping more people in more communities.
“There is a big gap in healthcare from what you need to recover well at home and what insurance will cover,” Nicole says.
Medical Loan Closet of Joplin is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Nicole encourages people to call or text 417.986.3131 for equipment needs, donations or volunteer information.
