SLO County donates medical equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to veterans services

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- San Luis Obispo County has donated medical equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to help out veterans in need of vital health care.

On Friday, more than 200 oxygen concentrators were loaded onto trucks from county warehouse that will transport them to Veterans Administration offices in the Midwest.

The county said the VA region receiving the units currently rents oxygen concentrators so the donation will lead to significant savings to its healthcare system and ultimately, taxpayers.

The concentrators had been in possession by San Luis Obispo County since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and were previously set up at the county's Alternate Care Site at the Cal Poly Recreation Center.

Since the care site was dismantled more than a year ago, the equipment has been sitting boxed up and unused at the county's medical supply warehouse.

Now, they'll be used to assist veterans who are battling COVID-19 or other respiratory medical issues.