BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — United Way of the Brazos Valley is looking for volunteers to help with its Ride2Health program, where volunteers give patients rides to their doctor's appointment.
“It’s just about being a friendly person who’s loaning the backseat of your car to take someone to a doctor’s appointment,” said Alison Prince, President/CEO, United Way of the Brazos Valley.
Dylan Domengeaux is a junior at Texas A&M University and said when he doesn’t have class, he volunteers.
“Usually, I have a busy schedule like three days out of the week, but on the ones I don’t, I look over to the website and see if there are any appointments I can pick up,” said Dylan Domengeaux, Ride2Health volunteer.
Prince said Ride2Health was the answer to many people’s concerns about making it to their doctor’s appointments.
“We kept hearing that transportation to medical appointments was a problem and mass transit and all these solutions that are solutions but are very expensive and so we said what about volunteers just being a neighbor and taking someone to their doctor’s appointment,” said Prince.
Prince said they would like to expand the program to more health care providers.
“We are only working with a couple providers right now because we want to provide a really strong service and we cannot meet the demand of the entire community at this time,” said Prince. “That’s why we need the volunteers.”
United Way works with a list of non-profit health care providers in the area.
And from that list, people who need the Ride2Health service, get approval through their doctor.
“It has to be qualified through their providers, that they have to say we have someone who we know does not have transportation to this appointment and it is inhibiting them to get to their appointments and we would like to request they be enrolled in Ride2Health,” said Prince.
Prince said all Ride2Health volunteers must pass a background check and will have to maintain a good driving record.
Domengeaux said rides last half an hour at most.
“Driving the person from your house to their house to the medical center, it might take about anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, depending on where you live,” said Domengeaux.
Domengeaux said getting to talk to nice people has made him passionate about volunteering and requesting a ride is simple.
“The person who needs help puts in an appointment online on the website, you look through them and say I can do it this time,” said Domengeaux. “You click it, assign it to yourself. You get to talk to some nice people, feel good about it later. It’s a good experience.”
If you are interested in becoming a Ride2Health volunteer, click here: Volunteer Brazos Valley – United Way of the Brazos Valley (uwbv.org).