Pilot Voucher Program
Mobility Management of South Central New York (MMSCNY) and Care Compass Network have announced a recent collaboration that has resulted in the establishment of a new transportation voucher program for the region's Medicaid population. As
Medicaid currently functions, the cost of transportation for enrollees to specific medical and health-related appointments is covered; however, the cost of transportation to certain treatments, pharmacies for prescription pickup, or grocery stores, among others is not covered. The new voucher program, available to residents of Broome, Chenango, Tioga and parts of Delaware counties, will provide Medicaid
enrollees the ability to access those services. Such services can improve health and prevent costly hospital admissions and readmissions.
The program will work by using local healthcare providers and community based service providers to initiate c
 onversations with Medicaid enrollees about their needs. First, they will determine if an enrollee is having difficulty picking up prescriptions, buying healthy food, getting to support groups, or anywhere else deemed essential for their health. If so, they will be allotted a small quantity of vouchers and referred to the
GetThere Call Center, operated by MMSCNY and staffed Monday - Friday from 7:00 am until 6:00 pm.
Care Compass Network (CCN), the organization charged with leading New York State's Medicaid redesign effort in Southern Tier counties, has made some of its Innovation Funding available to MMSCNY to pilot this program. The expectation is that by focusing on aspects of people's health beyond their specific doctors' appointments, enrollees will be better able to improve their own health and avoid costly emergency room visits and hospital readmissions.
A training on how to enroll individuals to benefit from this voucher program was held in late March at Care Compass Network in Binghamton. Many interested in distributing vouchers to patients/clients attended in person or by webinar. The session generated a lot of interest and excellent follow-up questions.
For further information, contact MMSCNY Director,
Bill Wagner at 607-584-0551.
"We recognize that people's health needs go far beyond their medical appointments. We also believe that a lack of transportation and a lack of access, in general, makes it harder for people to live healthy lives. As both a transportation organization and a program of the Rural Health Network of South Central New York, it makes sense for us to help facilitate this, to help people get to the things that are going to make them healthier, reduce trips to the emergency room and have fewer hospital admissions,"
states Wagner.
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Transportation Needs Assessment
A Pilot Project
In April 2016, the HealthlinkNY Community Network engaged community stakeholders in a process to determine the focus of the Southern Tier Population Health Improvement Program (PHIP), of which Rural Health Network is a subcontracted partner. Through the strategic planning process, transportation emerged as a leading determinant of health in the Southern Tier. A work group was created to explore strategies and interventions to strengthen the community's capacity to address the barrier transportation poses for many residents.
As a result, a transportation needs assessment project will be piloted this spring in partnership with one primary care practice in each of the five counties covered by the PHIP, with the objectives of collecting transportation need data across the region and decreasing no-show rates as related to transportation challenges.
Primary Care Practice office staff will work with patients to identify a potential for a transportation-related barrier to their next appointments. This will trigger a referral for patients to Mobility Management of South Central New York for practices in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, and Tioga Counties, and to 2-1-1 in Tompkins County. Mobility staff will then reach out to patients to assist with scheduling transportation to upcoming appointments.
For more information on the Prescription to Ride pilot project, contact Mary Maruscak, Population Health Coordinator for Tioga and Delaware Counties at
607-972-0329
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COUNTY NEWS and NOTES
Broome County:
New Broome-Tioga Rideshare Website
BMTS has just launched their new Broome-Tioga Rideshare website through 511NY. Basically, it is a resource for all things transportation related- not just ridesharing. People can use the site to plan a trip using transit, find a park and ride lot, view live traffic cams, or learn about different transportation options around the region. And, like the original rideshare website, users can still sign up to make a rideshare profile and find a ride match. The website is
broome-tioga-rideshare
. People who navigate to the old URL (
btrideshare
), will be redirected to the new site. Check out the Facebook page for anyone looking to see what Broome-Tioga Rideshare has been up to! You can find it here.
Grocery shuttle coming to Binghamton's north side, WBNG, a
piece by Emily DeVito, as posted 4/12/17
Chenango County:
MMSCNY has been working with the Chenango County Planning Department on a proposal to increase mobility and transportation services available to Chenango County residents. The plan was presented to and approved by the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in March.
Delaware County:
Delaware County had its first transportation advisory committee meeting. Many people were able to join and provide a wealth of information regarding transportation limitations in the county, as well as resources. The group also plans to come up with ideas for improvements and solutions to some of the gaps in transportation, either by a coordinated effort or a new service
Members from several community based service organizations met again at Delaware Opportunities for the second transportation advisory committee meeting. The group reviewed the 2011 Coordinated Transportation Plan for Delaware County. While recognizing that many of the barriers to transportation are still prevalent today, the group discussed a strategy to move forward in a couple of areas. Discussion centered around identifying potential coordination of partners resources and possible looking into stronger volunteer transportation efforts.
The group plans to meet again in May. For more information or to join the group contact Demetra Alberti, Community Services/Personnel Director, Delaware Opportunities, Inc., 607-746-1750.
Otsego County:
Otsego County reports that considerable growth in interest in mobility and transportation issues has continued since undertaking the contract with Mobility Management of South Central New York. Their latest transportation coordination committee meeting focused on reducing costs of transportation through coordinating rides, an important effort that the local United Way is expanding to multiple area agencies--currently including Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties and the Family Service Association of Oneonta. The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce has started a local work group for employers to convene and address issues with transportation to work for their employees. Recently, Tammie Harris of the Otsego County Planning Department, presented at the Leatherstocking DSRIP All-Partner Meeting to brief area medical professionals on transportation efforts in Otsego County; her talk included the services offered by Mobility Management of South Central New York. That presentation resulted in some new members for their (transportation coordination) committee; they will be welcomed at the next meeting which is expected to occur around the end of April or beginning of May.
"We are excited to see what else will transpire as we continue to meet, coordinate, and educate." Tammie Harris (Otsego County Planner )
Tioga County:
Tioga Transportation Talks are Being Scheduled
The Tioga County Transportation Committee has been working to complete an inventory of transportation options. Several "Tioga Transportation Talks" are now being scheduled around the county. Andy Fagan is looking for municipalities, organizations, libraries, and/or groups who would be interested in hosting one of the talks within the next couple of months. Contact Andy by calling 607-687-4020, ext. 312, or sending him an e-mail.
C TRAN Adds Pull-in Service to Tioga Downs
C TRAN will now pull in and drop off at the main entrance of Tioga Downs on Route
#10--Elmira-Owego. The Monday-Friday route will stop at the main entrance of Tioga Downs Casino six times per day. The stop at the Nichols Dollar General will now be on-request (OR). For information on times, fares, and more, visit
ridectran or call the customer service line at 607-734-5211.
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MMSCNY announces release of an RFP (request for proposals) for the Mobility Management website with trip planning capability project. The project objective is to maximize information and access to transportation resources for the Medicaid population and other transportation disadvantaged groups (rural seniors, individuals with disabilities, low-income individuals) in a ten county region of central New York State. The site must be user-friendly for health and human service providers seeking information about transportation services to plan trips for Medicaid patients and other patient populations, and for individuals in need who will use the website for transportation information and trip planning for health, employment and other travel needs.
Questions about this RFP opportunity, can be directed to
Cindy Martin, Director of Resource Development, RHNSCNY.
A log of questions and an FAQ (frequently asked question) response will be shared via the RHNSCNY's
website on April 17th.
Proposals will be accepted until 4:00 PM on Monday, May 1, 2017.
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MMSCNY's Metrics Quick View
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| For the second time this quarter, the Getthere Call Center has experienced a new record for monthly cases (99 cases in the month of March). Jan thru March 2016 - 179 cases Jan thru March 2017 - 261 cases |
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Did You Know?
Kneeling buses meet you at your level.
Imagine you're taking the bus to work. You wait at the stop until the bus pulls up. After the driver opens the door and a couple people get off, what happens next? You climb on up, pay, and go sit down, right? Well, maybe. In actuality, most modern buses will lower at the curbside - something called kneeling - to let you get onboard without having to climb anything. So you can skip that step... Locally, both CTRAN and BC Transit's entire fleets are capable of kneeling. So anytime you plan on riding and would like the bus to meet you at your level, just ask the driver...also know that they'll probably do it automatically. (Nick Cecconi)
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Work Continues
Check out the National Center for Mobility Management's website for "
Collaboration Between Transportation and Healthcare in Upstate New York
,"
covering October's Getting There conference. This article by Nick Cecconi describes the conference and some of the outc omes. M
ost of the material from the conference's sessions can be accessed at the RHN website (Rural Health Network of South Central New York). T
he work continues: a
nyone can follow along as a transportation toolkit materializes over the next year. Proceeds from the conference are earmarked for the RHN's Connection to Care program.
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Transportation Camp
Tompkins County and Cornell University are hosting their second TransportationCamp Ithaca, on Saturday, June 17, 2017, 8AM-4PM, at Klarman Hall, 232 East Avenue, on the Cornell campus. The three primary objectives are: to offer a high quality TransportationCamp experience in Upstate NY, to focus on challenges and solutions to medium & small urban and rural mobility, and to explore how technologies and better practices can be used to transform peoples' mobility choices and community livability. TransportationCamp fosters open conversation and collaboration between people interested in urban and rural mo bility amid radical changes in the near- future. Camp is an opportunity to explore questions, promote new ideas and network with fellow participants.
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Of Potential Interest
2) New state budget deal
A provision in a new state budget deal will allow ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft to expand into upstate cities (4/8/17
AP story as reported on WBNG)
4) MBTA to expand use of Uber, Lyft for disabled riders
Scott Reigle (BMTS) shared this interesting
article that provides an idea our region could possibly emulate should upstate NY get Uber and Lyft.
5) Strategies to reduce the drive alone mode share
Beth McKechnie, with
Green Action Centre (Winnipeg), recently solicited input from interested parties for a workshop they were hosting on strategies to reduce the drive alone mode share. They requested suggestions of short videos relevant to the topic, e.g. employer success stories, entertaining takes on workplace commuting, importance of a commuting options program for recruiting and retaining employees, etc.
She followed up with a list of those received. We will share these suggestions over time, as you might enjoy some. The top three were:
2) From ATP (Arlington Transportation Partners) which promotes transportation for employers, commercial/residential communities and schools, this video was made to be shown at Green Action Centre's recent banquet recognizing 2016 top performers
3) Also from ATP (Arlington Transportation Partners)
a video made the previous year has a different feel
A related story that aired on WBNG can be found
here.
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News on the Move...
This electronic offering was recently launched to provide information and news on The Move Together NY Project.
Move Together NY
utilizes a mobility management approach to problem solving. Its primary goal is to improve intercounty transportation connections and transportation choices, leading to increased access to medical appointments and employment across a large region in Upstate
NY. 
Contact Amber Simmons
(The Arc of Schuyler) for more information and/or to get on the mailing list.
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Getting the Word Out
Check out the Broome County Office for Aging Senior News for April.
MMSCNY Travel Training is featured in an article on page 6.
Contact us if you would like to include a feature article or an announcement of MMSCNY's services in your newsletter, or one you know of.
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Ways You Can Help
Join in promoting our cause.
You can help spread the word and gather feedback. Share this communication with others who may be interested or let us know who to add to the distribution list. Share your ideas and those you hear from others with us. Share mobility related news, events, and images representative of your area.
Funding is critical to MMSCNY's ability to continue to respond to increasing demand for services. If you'd like to make a donation to MMSCNY, visit the RHNSCNY
donation page
.
If you'd prefer to send a check, direct it to us c/o the RHNSCNY, PO Box 416, Whitney Point, NY 13862.
You can earmark your gift to CTC and/or GetThere by noting your designation(s) in the memo section.
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Upcoming
Events, Conferences, Workshops, Save-the-Date
MMSCNY Advisory Committee (monthly) - Thursday, April 20 at 12:00 noon, STIC
Tioga's County Transportation Group's monthly meeting - Monday, May 8 at 11 am, CCE Tioga
Tioga's County Transportation Group's quarterly meeting - Friday, June 2 at 1 pm, Tioga DSS
Transportation Camp Ithaca - Saturday, June 17, 8 am - 4 pm, on the Cornell University Campus (details above) .
MMSCNY Advisory Committee meetings for the 2017 calendar year, including monthly and quarterly meetings, can be found at
meeting schedule. Quarterly meetings will continue to be held immediately prior to BMTS' Coordinated Transportation Committee meetings.
Those interested in attending or learning more about MMSCNY Advisory Committee meetings should email Bill Wagner.
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Expanded
GetThere Call Center Hours
7:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays
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Important--please note that the option below to unsubscribe will remove your name from ALL of the RHNSCNY agency's mailing lists.
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