Shuttle to serve Kaiser patients over age 60
Senior citizens will get round-trip transportation to Kaiser's Woodland Hills facility for reduced fares on Tuesdays and Thursdays
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Seniors who need to see their doctors at Kaiser Permanente in Woodland Hills can save a lot on a round-trip ticket if they call and make a reservation before the end of March.

To kick off the new shuttle program from Thousand Oaks to the Woodland Hills hospital, round-trip shuttle tickets will cost only $7. That means there and back again for less than it costs to see a movie or about the same price as a Marie Callender's pie in February.

It doesn't matter when the appointment is, as long as the reservation is made before the end of March. The fee must be paid when the reservation is made.

"We're doing this to get people in the habit of making reservations," shuttle director Toni Hagopian said.

After March, reservations will cost $10 for those who are disabled and seniors over age 60. The price will be $20 roundtrip for those under 60, who can also ride for the $7 price with a reservation made before the end of March.

The van holds nine people. For those who need it, a wheelchair van is also available.

Reservations may fill up fast. The program will officially start today, Thurs., Feb. 22, but it's been running since the first of the month to smooth out any wrinkles, she said.

The program operates every Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 8:15 a.m., when riders are picked up at the Thousand Oaks Senior Concerns office, 401 Hodencamp, and dropped off at 9 a.m. at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Woodland Hills.

The shuttle also leaves on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Thousand Oaks at 10:15 a.m. for an 11 a.m. drop-off at Kaiser and again at 1 p.m. with a 1:45 p.m. drop-off at the hospital.

The return times from Kaiser are at 11:30 a.m. with an arrival at Thousand Oaks at 12:20 p.m. and a 3:15 pickup at Kaiser with an arrival at 4 p.m. in Thousand Oaks.

First, the patient must call Kaiser and let them know they are going to be taking the shuttle when they make their appointment, Hagopian said.

"The people at Kaiser have been very, very cooperative in helping people get appointments to go along with the shuttle times," she said.

According to a business plan prepared by Senior Concerns and presented to the City Council in September 2006, there are about 5,000 Thousand Oaks seniors enrolled in Kaiser Permanente. Roy Myers, Thousand Oaks city transportation analyst, said Kaiser Permanente does not have a transportation budget, but would work with the private/public program to market it to their clients.

The medical provider has guaranteed no patient will ever be abandoned at the hospital because of missing the shuttle, Myers said.

"They will give them a room for the night or find them a way home," said Myers.

Hagopian said this is going to make a positive difference in the lives of many Thousand Oaks seniors who cannot afford the taxi price of $55 each way.

"I know people who do not go to the doctor because they don't want to make their children take off work to drive them there," she said.

"If it is as popular as we think it's going to be, we can expand it to more days a week," Myers said.

Last year, the City Council approved $70,525 each year for three years up to $211,575 and authorized Senior Concerns to serve as the program operator. A Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant will make up most of the funding, and the city will provide additional monies through air quality fees from the transportation fund.

According to a city staff report, the city has received numerous requests for 17-mile transportation service to the Kaiser Permanente hospital due to the elimination of other HMO programs in the area.