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Officials in Hanover Township want to make sure that those with medical concerns don’t need to stress about transportation to and from doctors appointments.
For the past five years, Hanover has joined four other area townships in offering the Township Riders Initiative Pilot program funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. It provides rides to senior citizens and the disabled for medical needs, said Senior Services Director Barbara Kurth-Schuldt.
Township residents ages 60 and older and people with disabilities 18 and older are eligible for the program though they are not limited to doctors within the township boundaries. Participants will be taken by PACE buses throughout Elk Grove, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships to any health care provider, said Kurth-Schuldt.
“Each township has the ability to be a part of this program, so we’d like to increase our ridership,” Kurth-Schuldt said. “What is so nice about this is that we can transport people more than five miles outside of our township like St. Alexius Medical Center in Elk Grove.”
Disability and Senior Services Director Gerry Bartnicke, who was instrumental in piloting the program to the townships, said township officials were concerned for their cancer patients and those whose insurance only allowed them to go to doctors out of their township’s boundaries.
“We’ve been working on this for a long, long time,” she said. “The best part was that it really filled an important need that those who do not drive or cannot drive can get to their appointments. This program did that.”
Kurth-Schuldt said Hanover Township has made 255 trips so far. Overall, all five townships made more than 3,000 combined trips.
There is a $5 fee for each township line crossed but the total will not exceed $10 for a one-way ride or $20 round trip.
Trips to Stroger Hospital in Chicago, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hines and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood also will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“If you were to take a cab, it would be twice that amount of money,” she said. “We’re lucky to be able to offer this to our residents.”
Service hours are from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Residents can register for the program by calling the township Dial-A-Bus program at (630) 483-5656.
Officials in Hanover Township want to make sure that those with medical concerns don’t need to stress about transportation to and from doctors appointments.
For the past five years, Hanover has joined four other area townships in offering the Township Riders Initiative Pilot program funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. It provides rides to senior citizens and the disabled for medical needs, said Senior Services Director Barbara Kurth-Schuldt.
Township residents ages 60 and older and people with disabilities 18 and older are eligible for the program though they are not limited to doctors within the township boundaries. Participants will be taken by PACE buses throughout Elk Grove, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships to any health care provider, said Kurth-Schuldt.
“Each township has the ability to be a part of this program, so we’d like to increase our ridership,” Kurth-Schuldt said. “What is so nice about this is that we can transport people more than five miles outside of our township like St. Alexius Medical Center in Elk Grove.”
Disability and Senior Services Director Gerry Bartnicke, who was instrumental in piloting the program to the townships, said township officials were concerned for their cancer patients and those whose insurance only allowed them to go to doctors out of their township’s boundaries.
“We’ve been working on this for a long, long time,” she said. “The best part was that it really filled an important need that those who do not drive or cannot drive can get to their appointments. This program did that.”
Kurth-Schuldt said Hanover Township has made 255 trips so far. Overall, all five townships made more than 3,000 combined trips.
There is a $5 fee for each township line crossed but the total will not exceed $10 for a one-way ride or $20 round trip.
Trips to Stroger Hospital in Chicago, Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital in Hines and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood also will be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“If you were to take a cab, it would be twice that amount of money,” she said. “We’re lucky to be able to offer this to our residents.”
Service hours are from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Residents can register for the program by calling the township Dial-A-Bus program at (630) 483-5656.
