MRHA

Mobility Management Certification Program Aims to Find Community Champions

Transportation is fundamental to public health. Without affordable, reliable access to transportation, people may be unable to attend health care appointments or receive necessary medication and preventive treatments. When transportation is not an option, many people will delay health care until a crisis occurs, leaving them at the mercy of emergency department staffing and resources.

In rural areas, both transportation and emergency services are severely lacking, sometimes creating a fatal impact. In Kaiser Health News’ emotional podcast series Where It Hurts, Sarah Jane Tribble interviews rural residents about the closure of a critical access hospital and its devastating effect on the community.

In one interview, a woman describes a seemingly unending night, chasing the ambulance carrying her husband to the hospital, only to realize the emergency room was closed. She waited for hours relying on helicopters to transport her husband to the next closest emergency room, only to eventually be told none were available, without being given a reason why.

To fill transportation gaps in rural Missouri, the Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) hopes to help community champions expand their understanding of access barriers and create sustainable transportation solutions. MRHA partnered with Missouri University (MU) Extension and School of Medicine’s Office of Health, Outreach, Policy, and Education (HOPE) to deliver the Mobility Management Certification Program. This program uses participants’ lived experience and understanding of transportation in their communities to develop a tangible action plan to bridge transportation gaps across multiple networks.

Mary Gordon, HealthTran director at MRHA, partnered with MU Extension’s Sherry McDonald, Ed. D. and Administrative Consultant II, to develop the program’s curriculum. Gordon began working with MRHA in 2014 and now oversees HealthTran and the Mobility Management Certification Program, working to improve access for all.

Read the full article.

Listen to the podcast.