Volunteer drivers needed in rural areas for medical transports

LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- A few good drivers is what the The Senior Connections Rural Medical Escort Program needs in order to get seniors to their medical appointments. 

The program is part of Senior & Disability Services, which is a division of the Lane Council of Governments. Drivers are needed in Cottage Grove, Junction City, Veneta, Oakridge, Florence, and surrounding areas. In order to get more drivers the program is offering a car mileage reimbursement, and it's allowing volunteers to have a flexible daytime schedule. 

Volunteers are preferred to be available five or more hours a week. There are no rides on weekends, holidays, or evenings scheduled. All rides are scheduled through the Senior Connections office. Also, volunteer drivers must have a valid driver’s license and vehicle insurance. Finally, they must pass a criminal background check. 

In order to coordinate with the rural districts, the program employs area coordinators. They are part of the Senior Connections team. The area coordinator is who clients reach out to when they need assistance with a medical ride. 

Katherine Julien has been with the Lane Council of Governments for more than 10 years. She serves as Unit Manager in the Senior Connections Service. She believes the pandemic had a hand in making people more apprehensive about volunteering. She also said a number of their drivers retired from volunteering in the program. 

She said, "Most of our rural communities currently do not have a volunteer in this program and we would like to see that change so we can continue helping."

Julien also spoke about how the program needs volunteers to survive. She made it clear, the program would not last a day. 

She said, "Unfortunately this program truly does thrive off the volunteers. The volunteers at Senior & Disability Services. The volunteers is what makes this program truly exist. Without them there wouldn't be a medical escort program."

Junction City is a prime example of the type of rural small city that needs this service. Many residents know someone who uses the rides program. In Pastor Dr. C.N. Turrell's case it's his sister.

He said, "My sister has rode it when she is not able to ride a regular bus. And they do deliver you and they do pick you up. And they try to do a good job, it's not easy to do the job sometimes."

Robert Simmons calls Junction City home, and he recognizes volunteering is not easy, and not everyone has the free time. Like officials from the Senior and Disability Services, Simmons believes the pandemic was a major factor in reducing the number of volunteers. He was also a volunteer driver at one point, and he encourages people to get out and help.

He said,  "You're helping people, that's what God says, you know help thy brother and sister. So that's what I do you know."

It's clear Simmons' faith plays a major role in his life, and it's one of the reasons he is so pro-volunteer. Even with the incentives the program is providing Simmons believes there will still be challenges to get people to get behind the wheel and get seniors from point "a" to point "b".

He said, "You think about your home life. A lot of people don't have sitters for their kids. And or just in general they are working and so after work they don't really want to do anything."

If people are interested in volunteering you can learn more by going to the Lane Council of Governments webpage. Look for the Senior Connections Rural Medical Escort Program. You can also call the number 541-682-1366.