People living on Walpole Island First Nation have a new transportation option if they have a medical appointment and are stuck for a ride.
Earlier this year the Erie St. Clair (ESC) LHIN provided one-time funding of $500,680 to purchase seven new vans for local health care transportation service agencies.
LHIN officials say the vans, which are now on the road, will help people in Walpole Island, Chatham-Kent, Sarnia/Lambton, and Windsor/Essex access their much needed medical appointments. The investment is a part of the LHIN’s vehicle replacement strategy which has been developed to help ensure sustainability in local medical transportation services.
The ESC LHIN investment allows for the purchase and maintenance of seven new vans to the following agencies across the region:
– CareLink health transit partnership: Chatham-Kent – Family Service Kent: 1 van, Sarnia/Lambton – Lambton Elderly Outreach: 4 vans, Windsor/Essex – Community Support Centre of Essex County: 1 van
– Bkejwanong Territory, Walpole Island First Nation: 1 van
“The Home and Community Care Program on Walpole Island First Nation appreciates funding received from the LHIN, allowing the purchase of a new handicap accessible transport van,” stated Meg Connelly, Home and Community Care Coordinator on Walpole Island First Nation.
“The clients of the program will benefit immensely. Transportation is always a challenge for the people of Walpole Island. The transport van provides needed transportation to get clients to and from medical appointments, which supports improved health outcomes. The new van is beautiful. It has wonderful amenities and is so accessible. The clients love it. Our old van was on its last legs with over 400,000 KMs on it. The program and the clients are most grateful.”
In addition to the vans, the funding will also enhance the CareLink scheduling software and harmonize transportation policies and procedures, LHIN officials stated.
By improving van utilization, CareLink can help keep fragile seniors at home, reduce dependency on hospital resources, and provide a safe, dependable service.
LHIN officials say the investment plays an essential component in allowing CareLink health transit to continue to serve their nearly 4,400 clients. The new van provided to Bkejwanong Territory, Walpole Island First Nation will help to improve access to care in the community.
“The Erie St. Clair LHIN investment into local transportation services shows our dedication to ensuring that people can access the care they need,” stated Ralph Ganter, acting CEO for the LHIN.
“We are happy to see these new vans in circulation and look forward to continuing our work with CareLinks and other health transportation partners.”
CareLink health transit is a LHIN-wide partnership between seven agencies working together to provide transportation for clients to health care appointments.
If anyone requires medical transportation services, they can call CareLink health transit at 1-855-728-1433.
