Many Missourians in rural communities have difficulty securing reliable transportation to and from medical appointments.
New Growth Transit, a nonprofit affiliate of West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, is trying to meet their transportation needs through its volunteer driver network.
Kelly Ast, regional mobility officer for New Growth Transit, told KCUR's Up To Date that volunteers use their own vehicles and will drive residents to a range of appointments.
“(They) transport people for chemo, dialysis, and even the crucial methadone dosing, in addition to regular visits to manage (a) chronic condition,” Ast says.
In the first six months of this year, volunteers drove more than 140,000 miles across 11 counties.
“Rural health care is used to having very limited resources — and we're used to being innovative," she says.
- Heidi Lucas, executive director of the Missouri Rural Health Association
- Kelly Ast, regional mobility officer for New Growth Transit, an affiliate of West Central Missouri Community Action Agency
