December Update: H1N1 Flu Preparedness

2009 FLU PANDEMIC - Many of the clients transported by paratransit and non-emergency medical transportation providers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of Swine Flu: people with conditions such as asthma, arthritis or lupus, diabetes, cancer, and heart or kidney disease. See PandemicFlu.gov for more information. To help stop the spread of the virus to clients, personnel, and the public; some organizations have developed/implemented a preparedness plan. For example, here is some of what Sacramento's Paratransit,Inc. is doing:

1. Educate staff to recognize and report any information that may be vital in preventing the exposure of viruses to passengers and each other.

2. Encourage among employees and passengers an increased use of hand sanitizer, gloves, and dust masks.

3. Buses and facility are disinfected daily with particular attention to common areas.

4. If feeling ill, passengers and employees are asked to refrain from traveling or going to work.

More information can be found here: Planning for 2009 H1N1 Influenza (A Preparedness Guide for Small Business). The following video shows what the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority been doing during this, the second wave of the pandemic.

November Update: Partnerships for Wellness Conference

PARTNERSHIPS FOR WELLNESS CONFERENCE - As part of this year's Community Transportation Association EXPO in Providence R.I.; the Partnerships for Wellness Conference brought together transportation professionals, health care advocates, and researchers to discuss current challenges facing the delivery of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). Videos, transcripts, and other materials from the Wellness Conference are now online. There is a lot of interesting, informed, and relevant presentations and discussion that delve into such topics as funding, integration of services, and specialized care for older adults and children.

The following video is part of one of these presentations. It describes the experience in Allegheny County, PA of blending ADA Paratransit and Medicaid NEMT services.

October Update: Lift Restraint Belts

LIFT RESTRAINT BELTS - Manufacturers such as Braun and Ricon offer a wide selection of commercial lifts designed for use in a variety of settings. Some of these lifts have a restraint belt (such as the Ricon S-Series at left) while others (such as the Braun Millennium shown in the video below) do not. Those that don't can be retrofitted using the Access-AriZe Belt, a new product developed to improve safety on such lifts. Watch the following promotional video to learn more.

September Update: Drive Cams

DRIVE CAMS - Over the summer, MV Transportation entered into an agreement with DriveCam Inc. to convert MV's entire fleet of 5000+ vehicles (including paratransit and medicaid contracted) to DriveCam's Managed Services Program. More than a camera, it's what Edmunds.com calls the "automotive equilavent of the 'black box' data recorder". It should be noted, that within days of this news, MV furthered their commitment to safety by announcing that they would be partnering with Avatar Management Services to implement a new company-wide driver training & safety program. MV is looking to duplicate the success that Veolia Transportation has seen in it's North American operations, where the company has had a 38% reduction in collisions within a one-year period and lowered costs associated with risky driving since transitioning their fleet to DriveCams's program.

The following video shows how DriveCam has been used as part of the Teen Safe Driver Program.