The Community Transportation Network released a regional assessment that found a large number of people skip out on regular medical appointments due to a lack of transportation.
The assessment looked at 11 counties in northeast Indiana to better understand the transportation needs outside of Allen County, where the Community Transportation Network (CTN) primarily operates.
The report found 28% of respondents felt transportation services weren’t available and 27% found the services available, but schedules inconvenient.
And 23% are likely to skip or not schedule medical appointments due to a lack of transportation. Executive director Justin Clupper called this statistic “unnerving.”
“That’s frightening for folks because if you’re not getting your regular check-ups, if you’re missing those early indicators for health concerns, you’re missing an opportunity to manage that concern quickly and maybe get healing much faster," Clupper said.
CTN contracted RLS & Associates to conduct the assessment, which collected over 4,200 surveys and held 17 public meetings, 14 focus groups and 12 provider interviews.
RLS & Associates included nine recommendations to improve transportation in the region, including adding public transportation to rural Allen County, creating a fixed route in Warsaw and adding scheduling technology to more providers.
