To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Transportation Vouchers for Adults and Disabled Persons
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Purchasing Agent, or designee, on behalf of the Health Services Director, to purchase up to 3,000 County Connection single adult tickets each with a value of $2.50 totaling $7,500; up to 1,000 County Connection LINK disabled persons tickets each with a value of $5.00 totaling $5,000; and up to 500 WestCat single adult day pass tickets each with a value of $3.75 totaling $1,875, for a total purchase amount not to exceed $14,375 to provide transportation for Contra Costa Health (CCH) patients for the period from June 1, 2024 through May 31, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This $14,375 expenditure will be funded by Hospital Enterprise Fund I revenues. There is no impact to the County General Fund.
BACKGROUND:
Many patients are unable to obtain reliable transportation to and from appointments at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) and Health Centers, often missing their appointments altogether. To ensure patients attend their appointments to receive necessary care and treatment, CCRMC has been providing non-emergent transportation in the form of County Connection bus, LINK Paratransit, and WestCat bus tickets. Providing these tickets prevents patients from missing appointments and reduces the number of missed appointments and financial loss to CCRMC and Health Centers. As a safety-net hospital, CCRMC often serves the most vulnerable population in Contra Costa County, many of whom do not have transportation of their own or the ability to pay for transportation. When a patient misses an appointment, they do not receive the care needed which affects their health.
The tickets are utilized by County patients that cannot afford to pay for their own transportation, and includes many patients discharged from Psychiatric Emergency Services, the hospital emergency department, inpatient discharges, and patients with appointments at all health centers. On average, CCRMC distributes anywhere from 2600 to 2700 County Connection tickets, 600 Link tickets, and 400 to 500 WestCat tickets in a fiscal year. The number of patients in need is consistently growing.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, it could have an impact on the health and well-being of vulnerable adults.