A partnership between the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) helped launch a healthcare access challenge, with a goal of increasing mobility to medically necessary appointments.
The Health Care Access Design Challenge is part of the FTA’s Rides to Wellness initiative as an innovative way to address the challenge of mobility gaps that many in need of healthcare face. A community report released in June found that 3.6 million Americans miss at least one medical appointment a year due to a lack of transportation. The study also found that missed appointments lead to worse health outcomes for patients, making transportation a crucial component to good health.
The Health Care Access Design Challenge is focused on providing transportation to patients who need:
- Treatment for chronic diseases that require continual, frequent appointments (e.g., dialysis, chemotherapy)
- Treatment for acute, immediate or unpredictable healthcare needs (e.g., sick visits, hospital discharge, medical appointments with uncertain end time, emergencies that do not qualify for ambulance transport)
- Ongoing treatment necessary for post-hospitalization recovery and to help people avoid rehospitalization
- Behavioral health treatment, including substance addiction treatment
Seven communities are eligible to receive up to $30,000 in grant money to fund solutions that will make healthcare access easier for at-risk populations. The funds will be used to develop, research, strengthen and implement solutions for medical transportation scarcity in the affected region.
