ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, May 7, 1996 TAG: 9605070034
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
Among the range of questions involved in the debate about access to health care, "getting there" may be the most fundamental.
Specialized medical care, sophisticated equipment and the bills that come with them are irrelevant if the patient can't get to the physician's door.
In the New River Valley, where much of the population is rural and people commonly commute long distances from their homes to work or shop, many residents identify transportation as the major health care problem they encounter.
Attempting to address this dilemma, local social service organizations have joined forces to create Med-Ride, a unique, experimental and new transportation program for needy area residents.
Med-Ride will provide nonemergency, round-trip medical transportation for any citizen of Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles and Floyd counties and Radford. The program is designed for people who lack any other means of getting to the physician's office or hospital.
Without the program, many sick people are habitually passing up needed and available medical care because they can't get to health care providers, said Monica Brunk, Med-Ride's coordinator.
The service will be free to people with incomes below the federal poverty level. Others - including citizens with some medical insurance but no means of transportation - will be charged according to their ability to pay.
Med-Ride will use a motor pool drawn from existing human service agency transportation programs or volunteers driving their own cars. Clients can be picked up at their residences and delivered to medical facilities locally and in the Roanoke Valley.
The program represents a collaboration among a number of local social service organizations. It is also the first of its kind in Virginia, said Deborah Oswalt of the Virginia Health Care Foundation.
Oswalt and others came to the New River Valley Senior Services office in Pulaski on Friday to officially launch Med-Ride. The program's first year is being funded by a $45,000 grant from the Virginia Health Care Foundation.
She praised Med-Ride as an innovative approach to enhancing health care access and a model of cooperation among social service agencies.
Increasing case loads and declining governmental budgetary support make efficiency more important than ever in the medical and social service community, said Mark Cruise of the Free Clinic of the New River Valley.
Med-Ride aspires to be financially self-sufficient in three years, Brunk said. Revenue will be generated by fees, and the organization also plans to seek United Way affiliation.
If it succeeds, Med-Ride will make health care more efficient, and take some pressure off the overburdened emergency transportation system, said David Smith, Pulaski County's emergency medical system director.
During the same week as Med-Ride's kickoff, Pulaski County began charging about $250 for each ambulance trip, and selling $39 annual memberships for people whose insurance won't pay the cost.
"The load on volunteer rescue squads became unbearable," said Smith, explaining the new fee program.
Most rescue squads had to stop making nonemergency trips for sick patients years ago, and Smith predicted the demand for Med-Ride's free and low-cost service will be "intense."
To begin, Med-Ride has about 30 volunteer drivers, and will make trips on weekdays and weeknights only. Brunk will be the organization's only paid employee.
How to contact Med-Ride: Call toll free 1-888-MED-RIDE or 633-7433.
Who is eligible: All low-income New River Valley residents, (Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles and Floyd counties and Radford) regardless of age or infirmity, who lack transportation for nonemergency medical care.
Where does Med-Ride go: Round trips to hospitals, physician or therapist offices, dental clinics, pharmacies for prescriptions, health departments and clinics in the New River or Roanoke valleys.
What will Med-Ride charge: Nothing to clients with incomes below federal poverty levels. Others will pay a sliding scale of fees based on their ability to pay, up to $15 for 40-mile trips, plus an additional 40 cents per mile for trips above 40 miles.
When will trips be conducted: Weekdays and weeknights, whenever patients have medical office appointments. No weekend trips.
What vehicles will be used: Handicapped-accessible vans of local social service agencies or private vehicles driven by Med-Ride volunteers.
Who can volunteer as a driver: Any person with a valid operator's license, a good driving record and a safe vehicle.
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