/ Modified may 29, 2019 10:53 a.m.

Stranded

Transportation services can mean the difference between life and death. So what happens if they fail?

Non-emergency medical transportation gets people to pharmacies, physical therapy appointments, counseling sessions—the kinds of preventive care that can ultimately mean the difference between life and death. In rural areas in southern Arizona, some people who receive this service are speaking up and reaching out, claiming that—despite their best efforts—the transportation they rely on isn’t working as it should.

Mental health reporter Gisela Telis traces the problem back to changes in how local mental health agencies are paid for the services they provide, and finds that although the Arizona state Medicaid system, AHCCCS, is aware of an uptick in transportation problems, it has not yet found the cause or a solution.

Producer: Gisela Telis
Videographers: Steve Riggs, Bob Lindberg, Martin Rubio
Editor: Steve Riggs

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona