 Transportation Providers
Featured Provider
MEOC Transit, Michael Wampler, Transportation Director Mountain Empire Older Citizens, Inc., formed in 1974, is the Public Transit Authority and Area Agency on Aging for Virginia's Planning and Service Area 1. PSA 1 consists of the geopolitical subdivisions of Lee, Wise, and Scott counties and the City of Norton in far Southwest Virginia. MEOC's service area is approximately 1,365 square miles in rural, mountainous Southwest Virginia. Our largest locality is the City of Norton with a year 2000 senior population about 3,900 of the PSA's approximately 91,000 people. MEOC Transit has spent 30 years building a Coordinated Transportation program. Through coordination, MEOC is able to provide service to more people without duplication of resources. For example, Aging Services including congregate and home delivery, are provided on the same vehicle at the same time as Public Transit services, mental health and mental retardation contract services, Medicaid services, and transportation services for various other programs and clients. Thus, rather than five or agencies utilizing separate vehicles and drivers to traverse the same area, a single agency is able to serve all these clients with far fewer total resources. This provides a savings to the participating agencies, as well as a savings to the taxpayers who thus are not charged five or more times for transportation in the same geographic area, simply because each agency has its own separate funding stream. This economic efficiency does not reduce the attention to individual client needs. Extensive interagency training and cooperation and innovation in problem solving keeps client's needs uppermost in everyone's mind. MEOC is one of the few transportation providers within the Commonwealth to successfully integrate human services and public transportation. In most areas, there is the public system and the paratransit system provided by the public provider, and then there are the myriad of human service providers providing transportation to their own programs and services. Prior to 1985, that was the way it was in PSA 1, except there was no public transportation. MEOC took the innovative and risky steps of contracting with other human service providers, partnering with the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and local governments to meld the various systems into one comprehensive, coordinated system that now provides services to a broad spectrum of the population. MEOC is recognized via Resolution by Lee, Wise, and Scott counties and the City of Norton as the coordinated and specialized transportation provider in this planning district. Other Awards include: 1995 Transit System of the Year, Commonwealth of Virginia For further information, please contact: Michael Wampler (If you would like to be featured on our website, please contact us to submit a description of your organization and your innovation in providing transportation to seniors in your community.)
Additional Resources
Past Features: Partners In Care, Barbara Huston, CEO Partners In Care is a community nonprofit organization helping older and disabled adults remain independent in their own homes. Operating since 1993 and currently embracing over 2,400 members, Partners In Care uses a service-exchange concept as the foundation for its net work of support for seniors. The objective is to build community by engaging people to help each other with the myriad of tasks involved in everyday living. Neighbors volunteer their time and talent to help each other live with dignity and independence. Everyone has something to contribute and is valued for it. The transportation program provides one-on-one rides for people to get to their medical appointments. They also provide rides to pick up prescriptions, go grocery shopping, run errands, go on friendly visits, and more. Volunteer drivers use their own cars to pick up an individual at their front door, take them to their appointment, wait with them, and bring them back safely home again, often making stops on the way home if requested. Other services include Repairs with Care (home repairs), Warm Houses (friendly visitors), the Boutique (resale shop), Emergency Kits for Seniors, and HealthWatch (emergency response system). Members of the program may provide services, receive services, or both. For every hour of service donated, an hour of service credit is earned. This credit may be used at a later date or donated back to the program for others in need. Services are matched to individual needs and schedules. All participants are encouraged to utilize their time and talents as members of Partners In Care. For further information please contact: Partners In Care |
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