Transportation for Health
“You can’t get there from here,” isn’t an unknown expression in West Virginia. For many rural West Virginians who need to see their doctor, it’s a grim reality.
The Transportation for Health Initiative is a component of the West Virginia Rural Health Access Program. Through this project, three West Virginia communities are exploring ways to solve the health transportation problem. The project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 21st Century Challenge Fund, the Benedum Foundation and the communities themselves.
The initiative assists three pilot communities address transportation barriers to health care by better coordinating existing resources and developing collaborative relationships to address additional transportation needs. The goal is better utilization of existing resources.
Data indicate 81 percent of the rural population in West Virginia lives in areas that are either not served by public transportation or have below-average service. Over 67,000 rural households are without cars, according to the Atlas of Rural Transportation, 1995. Beyond this data little information exists about the problems of accessing health care due to transportation difficulties.
For more information on the pilot programs, click on the name of the community:
Morgan County
Grant, Pendleton and Hardy counties
To arrange for health care transportation in any of these areas, or for more information on the specific programs, contact the Lead Agency of that project.
Morgan County
Lead Agency: Senior Life Services of Morgan County Inc.
Address: 404 South Green Street, Berkeley Springs WV 25411
Phone: 304-258-3096
Email: slsmc@intrepid.net
No public transportation or taxi services exist in Morgan County. Senior Life Services of Morgan County (SLSMC) is the only agency currently providing transportation to primary medical care facilities.
Partners:
War Memorial Hospital
Mountaineer Community Health Center
Project Description:
Transportation services will be expanded to provide greater access to health care. Services will be become more efficient by establishing regular schedules as opposed to the current system of providing services on demand. A single contact at SLSMC will improve collaboration with health care providers and major partners to increase use and efficiency of the system. War Memorial Hospital and Mountaineer Community Health Center will publicize the project and identify and refer individuals in need of transportation to and from their medical appointments.
Matching Sources:
Older Americans Act, Title IIIB
Division of Public Transit
LIFE (WV Lottery) funds
Local sources
Lead Agency: Preston County Senior Citizens, Inc.
Address: 421 1/2 East Main Street, PO Box 10, Kingwood WV 26537
Phone: 304.329.0464
Email: jwhitepcsc@hotmail.com
Partners:
Preston County’s Family Resource Network
Heartland of Preston County
Hopemont Hospital
Hospice Care Corporation
North Central Community Action Association, Inc.
Preston County Ambulance Association
Preston County Commission
Preston County Health Department
Preston County Office of Emergency Management
Preston Health Care Corporation (Preston Memorial Hospital, Preston Memorial Medical Group, Preston Memorial Foundation).
Valley HealthCare System
WV Department of Health and Human Resources
WVU Extension Service
Windy Hill Manor Personal Care Home
Preston County has the highest number of road miles in the state with a rural nature typical of West Virginia.
Project Description:
The project will build upon the medical escort model and increase the availability of the service to ninety hours per week, alert patients and health care providers of increased availability of non-emergency medical transportation, and remove transportation as a barrier to health care.
A scheduler-dispatcher will make arrangements. Priority will be given to individuals regardless of age who have no other means of transportation, are unable to afford the full cost of transportation and/or exhibit the potential for neglecting or postponing follow-up care due to lack of transportation. Transportation will be provided for primary care, follow-up for urgent care, and pharmacy services. Providers will be able to use their time more efficiently; resources will be saved by several of the collaborating agencies; partnerships will strengthen with the goal to assure patients medical services and comprehensive care; and the stress on patients’ families will be reduced.
Matching Sources:
WV Division of Public Transit
Lead Agency: Potomac Valley Transit Authority
Address: PO Box 278, Petersburg, WV 26847
Phone: 304-257-1414
Email: jdlpvta@citlink.net
The geographic area in the three counties is greater than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined and population is one of the least per square mile east of the Mississippi.
Partners:
Department of Health and Human Resources
Potomac Valley Transit Authority
Potomac Highlands Mental Health Guild
Grant County Committee on Aging
Grant Memorial Hospital
Grant County Commission
Grant County Health Department
Hardy County Health Department
Pendleton County Health Department
Hardy County Commission on Aging
Potomac Highlands Support Services
Ministerial Association of the Potomac Highlands
Pendleton Community Care
North Fork Primary Care
Project Description:
The workgroup plans to provide a central point of contact through which transportation services would be coordinated. Areas of duplication would be eliminated and resources could be used to fill gaps in service that currently exist. A coordinator will be hired and placed at the Potomac Valley Transit Authority. The coordinator will disseminate information to service providers, field calls and provide clients with information and access to services, set up driver training, track service usage, and survey consumers and service providers. The potential exists through this program to truly collaborate on transportation services and ensure that any new services that are added meet community needs.
Matching Sources:
Information not available at this time.
