Ocean County seniors can access another method of transportation to get to medical appointments with assistance from the Healthy Hop Transportation Program.
“As we age many of our residents are no longer driving making it difficult to get a ride to appointments that are important to one’s health,” said the Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Joseph H. Vicari, who serves as Chairman to the Ocean County Office of Senior Services. “We are fortunate to have this new program offered by Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey to make traveling to doctor appointments a little easier for our seniors.”
Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey, a nonprofit agency that is dedicated to providing free, supportive services to seniors received funding from the AARP Community Challenge Grant sponsored by Toyota Motor North America. This funding has helped create the Healthy Hop Transportation Program, which is designed to help seniors age 60 and older have access to reliable transportation for medical appointments by using Uber, Lyft and local taxi services.
Funding for the program is currently limited and services will be on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, call the office of Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey at 732-505-2273 to ensure all the necessary information is provided for a safe and efficient transport. Once registered, seniors can get one local ride per week.
“I commend Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey for their continued support of our residents and for working closely with the Ocean County Office of Senior Services to provide quality programs to our seniors,” Vicari said. “Ocean County is home to more than 200,000 seniors and many of our seniors are reaching 85-years-old and older.”
The eligibility requirements for the Healthy Hop Transportation program are:
Residents must be 60 years or older and live in Ocean County
Canes and walkers can be accommodated (no wheel chairs)
No appointments that require anesthesia are allowed
Must be able to get in and out of the car with gentle assistance
“This program is a great addition to the transportation services already established for seniors in Ocean County through our Ocean Ride program,” said Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Gary Quinn, who serves as liaison to the Ocean Ride program. “The partnership between Ocean Ride, the Ocean County Office of Senior Services and Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey allows for everyone to work hand in hand to offer convenient transportation for our senior communities.”
Ocean Ride provides two major services for senior residents, “Reserve-a-Ride” that provides door to door, non-emergency medical transportation service, and 11 fixed bus routes throughout Ocean County designed to connect key residential areas with popular destinations such as local governmental facilities, healthcare, shopping, employment, social services and other transit connections.
For more information on Ocean Ride programs, residents can call 732-736-8989.
“Ocean County is a large county in area and public transportation is at times limited. As our senior population continues to grow, it is important to make sure that there are increased opportunities for them to access transportation,” Vicari said. “The Healthy Hop Transportation program provides important assistance to our seniors as does Ocean County’s Ocean Ride program.”