16 Communities Receive Grants to Pursue Innovative Mobility Solution

As part of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Rides to Wellness initiative, the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) on June 10 announced nearly $400,000 in competitive grants to 16 communities to better connect residents with health care services.

About 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical appointments every year because they lack transportation to health care. Rides to Wellness aims to connect people to the health care they need, thereby improving outcomes for patients and reducing healthcare costs. Each grant winner will spend six months developing solutions to address patient challenges in accessing primary and preventive care, dialysis treatment, behavioral health, and post-hospitalization appointments with technical assistance from NCMM.

“The Affordable Care Act put good health care practices within reach for more Americans,” said Acting FTA Administrator Therese McMillan. “We are working to remove barriers for people to get to regular check-ups, even if they don't have access to a car. Public transportation is key to making health care accessible.”

As part of the application process, communities researched the extent of their health care mobility challenges and conceptualized two potential solutions. For example, in Buffalo, a team will test Transportation Navigation services aimed at reducing missed pre-natal appointments among low-income women, while in Worcester, Massachusetts a team will test a tool to enable health care providers to schedule appointments based on transportation availability.

During the six-month grant period, grantees will test assumptions about the concepts with potential users and modify their solutions to adapt to real-world situations. Grantees also will plan how they will implement their solutions on a broad scale, with an eye to financial viability and sustainability.

Selected projects include:

Transportation to post-hospitalization appointments to help avoid hospital readmission

• Finger Lakes Performing Provider System, Rochester, New York
• Hopelink, Belleview, Washington
• South Central Illinois Regional Planning & Development Commission, Salem, Illinois
• Valley Regional Transit, Meridian, Idaho
• Catholic Health Initiatives Iowa Corporation, d/b/a Mercy Medical Center, Des Moines, Iowa

Transportation to dialysis treatment

• Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta, Georgia

• WSOS Community Action Commission Inc., Fremont, Ohio

Transportation to primary care, preventative care, and/or health education

• Interfaith Senior Programs Inc., Waukesha, Wisconsin
• Missouri Rural Health Association, Jefferson City, Missouri
• Worcester Regional Transit Authority, Worcester, Massachusette
• United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, Buffalo, New York
• CitiCare/Sierra Nevada Transportation Coalition, Reno, Nevada
• Lakeshore Foundation, Birmingham, Alabama
• Christian Healthcare Center, Lynden, Washington

Transportation to behavioral health appointments

• Mass Transit Authority, Flint, Michigan
• Project Access of Durham County, Durham, North Carolina