April-May_2022 - 21

vice redesign project for one of the
counties it serves to act as a model
for the other six. HIRTA then
took this information to develop
a new business plan, which was
adopted in May 2020.
" I feel that pushed everything
forward into some of the projects
that we've done now, " shared
Brooke Ramsey, business development
manager, HIRTA.
To make some of these projects
a reality, HIRTA got creative with
how it could leverage additional
funding outside of federal dollars.
The solution? Establishing a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization,
the Heart of Transit, which allows
HIRTA to apply for grant opportunities
not available to typical
government agencies.
Now, HIRTA's focusing on
programs that are breaking down
transportation barriers for the communities'
most vulnerable riders,
especially those who need access
to healthcare and human services.
Removing Barriers to
Access Healthcare
One program that is enhancing
access to human services is the
Retired & Senior Volunteer Program
(RSVP). HIRTA submitted
a grant application through
AmeriCorps Seniors to start the
volunteer program in Madison
and Marion Counties to meet
its goal of having an RSVP in
every county with 75 volunteer
drivers each.
The program tackles transit
barriers by recruiting people 55
and older to be volunteer drivers
and provide trips to the pharmacy,
grocery shopping and medical
appointments-another initiative
HIRTA has been addressing.
" We're very aware because we
have been reviewing those plans
that the health departments do in
all seven of our counties of what
they say are transportation barriers, "
said Castillo. " What we
found was people will forget they
don't have transportation, and the
day of their appointment, they'll
remember they have an appointment
but no way to get there. "
With the help of grant funding
and a new mobility coordinator,
HIRTA developed its Do
You Have Transportation? campaign
to work with appointment
schedulers, like at medical facilities,
to ask the appointment goer
if they have transportation, and
if they do not, help them identify
options to get there. Now,
HIRTA is continuing its efforts
to increase access to transportation
for healthcare with its
Health Connector Project: An
Inclusive Mobility Experience
from Beginning to End, which
is funded through a contract
with the U.S. Department of
Transportation under its Complete
Trip - ITS4US Deployment
Program from 2021. The objective
is to provide enhanced and
equal access by integrating the
scheduling and management of
healthcare appointments and
transportation, with a focus on
underserved communities.
" Here's this opportunity for
taking that [campaign] a step further
and how can we get healthcare
facilities, when they schedule
an appointment for someone, that
they can also schedule transportation, "
said Castillo.
The overall goal of the program
is to increase mobility
options across transportation
modes while tackling the obstacles
of planning and completing
trips. The program is starting in
Dallas County with the hope of
expanding regionwide and will
focus on rural, veterans, persons
with disabilities, low-income, older
adults and persons with limited
English proficiency.
Currently, the program is in the
concept development phase, the
first of three phases that will last
about 12 months. Ramsey shares
so far, the work has been intense
as the team has created 14 different
documents that lay the foundation
" for other transit systems to implement
something similar. "
Images provided by HIRTA
" We do this because we want
to make life easier and better
and more accessible. We want to
give people the freedom to move
around their own communities
that they've chosen to live in. "
JULIA CASTILLO,
Executive Director, HIRTA
Technology Powers
Solutions for
Independence
The project team recently submitted
the phase two application
for its Healthcare Connector
project, which moves it from a
contract to a grant. Phases two
and three would involve developing
the software that is needed,
implementing the software into
the services and then operating it
for a period-all of which could
take another three years. In the
end, Ramsey shares the final
product for end users will have
a web-based interface and/or a
mobile app, depending on the
type of device used. To be more
inclusive, they're also creating an
option so facilities can schedule
transportation for riders who
don't use technology.
APRIL/MAY 2022 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 21
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