December 4, 2008

Everybody Rides Metro Foundation Awarded $80,800

Grant to fund research to reduce transportation barriers to health care

CINCINNATI -- The Everybody Rides Metro Foundation (ERM) has received an $80,800 grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The grant will fund research that will lead to development of a strategic plan to overcome transportation barriers to health care in our city.

Everybody Rides Metro exists to provide reliable transportation to the economically disadvantaged of Cincinnati, assuring access to employment, education, health care and other vital services as they work towards self-sufficiency.

This grant is specifically designed to help ERM collect important data that is necessary to develop a plan to help overcome these health care related transportation barriers.

For example, the research will help identify efficient ways to get uninsured, low-income people to the right health care when they need it. That means giving people access through transportation to routine medical and dental care and linking them to other services when needed.

“Support from partners like The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is deeply appreciated because it enables ERM to move forward to fulfill its mission to assist low-income individuals and families through transportation subsidies,” said Ted Bergh, Executive Director of the Everybody Rides Metro Foundation.

In addition to the research and facilitation professionals who will be hired though the grant, this project also will receive the added assistance of eight professionals from Leadership Cincinnati USA, which has adopted this as one of its new community interest projects.

ERM is currently providing more than a $1 million in free rides to employment and employment preparation destinations through a federal Job Access grant. The Health Foundation grant will extend that program to include health care destinations.