Transportation to and from medical appointments can be a major challenge for many within the community to access care. To understand these challenges and see first-hand how they can impact patients, representatives of the WellSpan Community Care Coordination group in Adams County recently took a ride on a Rabbittransit bus from Adams County through downtown Hanover to experience what it is like to use public transportation to get to appointments.
“Experiencing this first-hand is totally different than simply referring a patient to these resources and assuming that they’ll figure it out,” remarked Yeimi Gagliardi, health educator with WellSpan Community Health Improvement who participated and coordinated the experience. “As an advocate and engaged community member, I believe that we all have a role to play in educating ourselves on the realities of everyone we serve in our community, and how we can best work to ensure access to the care that they need.”
The WellSpan Community Care Coordination group is comprised of social service agency representatives, WellSpan health coaches, social workers and health educators that meet to review cases in which medical care is not meeting patient needs. Specifically, this work helps WellSpan Health implement their Community Health Improvement Plan to understand patients Social Determinants of Health, and ways WellSpan can establish new approaches to working with community organizations to address social and economic issues which impact health.
Many of the participants had not previously used the bus service, noting initial challenges in learning how to read the transit maps, find stop locations, and navigate transfers between route lines. They also learned how to use the smart phone app to track their ride and discussed the process to apply for special services based on needs for those with a disability or low-income considerations.
As for the experience in Hanover, Gagliardi says it was eye-opening.
“Rabbittransit has a very supportive staff,” said Gagliardi. “They work tirelessly to help people navigate their system without challenges!”
If you’re interested in learning more about how WellSpan is working to meet the needs of patients in our communities, visit https://www.wellspan.org/about/wellspan-in-the-community/.