By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
GREENVILLE — The Darke County Commissioners approved a transportation services agreement with Spirit Medical Transport for Darke County Job and Family Services (DCJFS).
According to Commission President Matt Aultman, the agreement is exactly as it was last year and will run from July 1 through June 30, 2024. The agreement states the target population is any resident of Darke County that meets the eligibility criteria of the JFS transportation program with medical related appointments being priority. This is in addition to, but not limited to at-risk families who are experiencing crisis and family problems, children with the potential of being placed in an out-of-home placement, disabled and elderly. Spirit is expected to obtain prior approval from DCJFS before rendering transportation services and will submit an itemized monthly invoice to DCJFS. Hours of reimbursable service are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
DCJFS will reimburse Spirit $25 each way within Greenville City Limits and to include Family Health Services. For trips within Darke County, the cost is $35 per person each way, plus $3 per loaded mile per person each way. The cost for trips outside the county is a $40 pick-up charge, plus $3 per loaded mile per person each way.
A second agreement for similar services was with the City of Greenville. This is for trips within the Greenville City Limits to include Family Healthy Health and/or within Darke County. The cost per person is $16 each way. The service times for Greenville Transit are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Aultman explained these agreements are geared to individuals on Medicaid who get services from DCJFS. “It’s typically doctors visits, rehab, things like that. It’s the medicare portion that gets people to and from their appointments.”
This agreement does not take the place of the transportation program previously run by Community Action Partnership (CAP). The commissioners are continuing to look at possible programs to replace the lack of transportation in the county. “We used to have four providers, but we’re down to two,” he said. “CAP has since dropped out – pretty much (had) all of the transportation within the county, which is really putting a hurting on us. Integrity’s situation that happened. That left us with Spirit which is covering a lot of event services, plus their own and the City of Greenville’s transport buses, which are the only ones we contract with.” He did note that Catholic Social Services does provide some transportation in the county, but the county does not have a contract with them.
The next regular meeting of the Darke County Commission is Tuesday, June 27, 1:30 p.m., Darke County Administration Building.
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
