GATESVILLE, Texas — The pandemic has hit the medical industry in many ways and that now includes the ability to get supplies needed for patients.

Supply chain issues have Coryell Health in Gatesville reaching out to the community for help.

Imagine this, you are in desperate need of crutches but your local hospital is completely out.

That is a scenario that Coryell Health is trying desperately to avoid.

”We would have never imagined that we would be out of crutches, like most other facilities across the country," said Heather Rambeau. chief nursing officer for Coryell Health. "It’s just a nationwide shortage we had no way to predict happening.”

Now they are reaching out to the community, asking for used crutches to be donated because they can’t find any new ones.

”None of our normal venders have the ability to get us crutches," Rambeau said. "So, we’ve reached out to other vendors and even looked on Amazon.”

It’s a problem experts are attributing to supply chain issues.

”The shortage of medical gear like crutches is really due to a shortage of aluminum," said Dr. Rob Tennant, assistant professor of accounting at Texas A&M Central Texas. "The shortage of aluminum is affecting a handful of industries.”

With supply chain issues ongoing, the shortage of aluminum need to make crutches is expected to continue for some time.

”The shortage of aluminum, I would expect to last at least through the first quarter of next year," Dr. Tennant said. "So, it’s going to be challenging."

That's how the community can help, by donating their used crutches to Coryell Health.

”If anyone has needed crutches in the past, then you know it is a true necessity," Rambeau said. "It’s not something you can necessarily do without."

You can donate used crutches directly to Coryell Health in Gatesville, where they will be clean and do the repairs needed to ensure they are safe and ready for patients.