Residents and guests have a new way to access scheduled medical care outside of Revelstoke with a new car dedicated to the Revelstoke Senior Citizens’ Association (RSCA) Volunteer Medical Transportation Program (VMTP). The program connects clients with a volunteer driver who can transport them to out-of-town medical appointments with trips going as far as Kamloops, Kelowna and Armstrong.
“This is a community resource we saw needed,” Dale Morehouse, RSCA president told Revelstoke Mountaineer. “We’ve worked really hard to make this easier on everyone. Medical things are a big stress sometimes.”
With the help of donations and partnerships from Jacobson Ford, Columbia Basin Trust, Revelstoke Hospital Auxiliary Society and Revelstoke Freemasons branch the hybrid vehicle means volunteer drivers don’t always have to use their personal vehicle to transport patients. A dedicated vehicle for the VMTP also helps the RSCA plan for costs and predict what funding will be needed to keep the program running.
Clients register in advance with RSCA, providing the latest tax-return information to help set a sliding scale fee to use the service. A 24-48 hour notice is given to RSCA before every appointment needed, and Lori Anderson, RSC office manager then connects with the program coordinator who partners volunteers to clients.
The Volunteer Medical Transportation Program
The VMTP has been running since 2023, and use has grown in that short span with hundreds of trips taken each year. Trips can sometimes eat up an entire day, and RSCA tries to keep volunteer drivers in-the-know as much as possible. With other medical transport services such as the Health Connections Bus Program not always able to line up with appointment times, Morehouse sees the VMTP filling gaps in medical transportation services instead of stepping on toes.
“We look at ourselves as a last resort for anybody,” Morehouse said, emphasizing that anyone in the community can pre-register for the program. While the RSCA might be running it and while many current drivers are volunteers connected to the RSCA, Morehouse wants the resource accessible to anyone in town, even if it’s just for an extended visit.
“You have cases where someone is transported to the hospital outside of town in an emergency,” Anderson said. “They’re treated, but then their vehicle is back in Revelstoke. How do you get back home?”
It’s not a perfect solution, but a VMTP volunteer can make the journey to pick someone up from a regional hospital.
Community support
Revelstoke’s Jacobson Ford Sales will provide maintenance and regular cleaning of the vehicle to help extend the life of the VMTP for as long as possible. Morehouse explained every little bit will help counter a vehicle making 400 kilometre round trips.
Donations from local gas station Ed’s Gas Club also helped get the VMTP on the right foot and local business Score Construction helped build a shelter for the vehicle to park under when not in use, protecting the vehicle from rain and snow.
The list of donations, financial support and labour that helped get the VMTP to this stage is a showcase of Revelstoke’s spirit, Morehouse said. Now the RSCA is looking for volunteers who can keep the program running for anyone in town who needs the lift.
“It’s a commitment, we know. You volunteer your day for this,” he said.
Volunteers are given a $20 honorarium for the day, a way for RSCA to possibly treat them to a meal as thanks. While current volunteer demographics lean towards retired locals with more flexibility in their schedule, RSCA hopes Revelstoke’s growth in shift workers, remote workers and those with atypical schedules might provide more volunteers looking for an excuse to spend a day out of town.
Those interested in volunteering for the VMTP should contact the RSCA at 250-837-9456 Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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