What We’re Reading: Connecting Mobility and Health

Announcement:

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), with funding from the Federal Transit Administration, is pleased to announce the Health Care Access Design Challenge 2017, a funding opportunity to assist seven communities in addressing health care transportation access issues. Find the full, PDF version, here.

What We're Reading: Connecting Mobility and Health 

Transit systems have long focused mostly on moving people efficiently. Now, though, there is a growing awareness of how transportation impacts quality of life and community health. Innovative programs continue to pop up around viewing mobility and health outcomes through a common lens.

A new report from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), discusses the impact of social and environmental factors on an individual’s overall health. Transportation comes up as a key area of opportunity in which collaboration can lead to improving environmental factors that affect individuals’ health. Health Payer Intelligence highlights the AHIP report and provides details on how collaboration with community organizations and local stakeholders can help to address these same health outcomes.

Some communities are specifically working toward assisting access to health care for vulnerable individuals. Earlier in August, CareOregon started its new care coordination program to assist the state’s tribal members in accessing health care. The new program model will help coordinate transportation and social service needs, and provide culturally appropriate services for Oregon’s Native American Population.

In Kansas, the Department of Transportation has identified access to health care and mental health services as two primary gaps in the regional public transportation system for low-income and disabled individuals. They will complete a Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan in the hopes of finding a solution to address these gaps.

Also in Kansas, United Health Care has awarded $234,000 in grants to help consumers in rural areas of the state gain access to health care. The money has been awarded to five different local programs focused on improving health through telemedicine, at home care, portable technology, transportation, and drug screenings.

Technology companies have been itching to find a way into the health and transportation sectors. There has been a significant increase in transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Lyft and Uber partnering with state governments and health care organizations across the US to reduce costs and improve patient care, with Lyft especially stepping onto the forefront of these partnerships. Health Care Global has collected examples of many of the health care companies or services in which Lyft is now playing a part to show the extent of its reach.

Have more mobility news that we should be reading and sharing? Let us know! Reach out to Andrew Carpenter (carpenter@ctaa.org).

Image Credit:Pixabay, Public Domain