By DEBORAH E. LANS
HUDSON–In his memoir “The Flag, The Cross, and The Station Wagon” environmentalist and Third Act founder Bill McKibben says that during his lifetime he has seen the country replace “a sense of community with a sense of hyper-individualism.” The drivers of the Hudson-based medical transport service CARTS might prove him wrong, as they are all about helping others.
CARTS (The Children and Adults Rural Transportation Service) is a program of the non-profit Healthcare Consortium, and it is celebrating its 25th anniversary on August 1. The program provides free (to the passenger), door-to-door, non-emergency transportation to medical appointments to Columbia County residents. From one driver and one car at its start 25 years ago, CARTS has grown into an essential service for county residents.
Medicaid pays for some of the trips but as other insurance does not, the Healthcare Consortium relies on grants and donations to cover its costs, as well as contractual fees paid by county agencies, the Greene County Department of Human Services and Columbia Memorial Health (CMH). Columbia County also provides offices for the consortium in county-owned buildings, parking for CARTS vehicles in city lots, and other services, but the consortium is not a county program nor is it taxpayer funded.
As Columbia County lacks a meaningful public transportation system, and as it is home to a large population of the elderly (27% of the population is over 65), CARTS is a vital service for those who have no car, lack family or friends to drive them, no longer drive, lack the money for gas or tolls, or who are receiving treatments (like dialysis) that will exhaust them and render them unable to drive.
Nearly one-fifth of all CARTS trips are to out-of-county providers, with Albany, Troy, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Pittsfield and Great Barrington as frequent destinations. The other trips are to in-county medical and dental facilities. In 2023, CARTS made more than 13,000 trips, traveling almost 250,000 miles. Nine out of every ten of its passengers were over age 60, and 68% of the trips were given to “non-payers” – i.e., those whose transport was not covered by Medicaid or a contractual arrangement. CARTS operates a “fleet” of eleven, spotless, well-maintained and smoke-free vehicles, including sedans, minivans and a multi-passenger wheelchair accessible minibus.
While all trips are scheduled well in advance, last-minute juggling due to weather, cancellations and unplanned delays at the medical end turn the job of the program director, Jim Funk, who (among many tasks) does the scheduling into a dynamic challenge that only a puzzle-lover could withstand. The carefully-planned routes distributed to the drivers the night before — usually consisting of 80-90 runs in a single day – are routinely in shreds and replotted by 11 in the morning, not to mention in real time throughout the day.
But what really sets CARTS apart are its seventeen drivers. Most of the drivers are retired — many from public service jobs — all but one is a man, and those interviewed by this paper said that the work “is a dream job for a retired person” that they would do without pay. (Drivers make between $15-17.50/hour.)
Greg Mosley is a former Marine who was the first African-American State Police officer in the county. He and his wife, Elena, founded Operation Unite, a youth-development organization in Hudson. Mr. Mosley has been driving for CARTS for 12 years, and he authored the program’s motto “Our Cars, Our Drivers, Our Pleasure” to express not only the satisfaction derived from providing a much-needed service (the drivers see themselves as part of the client’s care-giving team) but more importantly the relationships that the drivers often develop with their clients. In 2022, on average a client of CARTS took 22 rides with the service, as many clients are dependent on CARTS for transport to frequent services, such as 3 times each week dialysis.
Jim Toteno became bored after he retired from 34 years working as a civil engineer for the state. Like Mr. Mosley, he was recruited to drive at CARTS by a friend who worked there. The job at CARTS appealed to the side of him that was always involved in his community — as a Chatham School Board member for 13 years and a sports coach. He speaks of growing close to many of his clients, and the pain he feels when one of them passes.
Anna (Chrissie) Maxwell came to CARTS after the local taxi company that she worked for (in addition to her job at the Chatham Price Chopper) closed. She had a friend who was undergoing dialysis and spoke of “adoring” her CARTS driver. The only woman driving for CARTS, Ms. Maxwell loves talking with her “older” clients (those in their 90s) and hearing their life stories. One of her repeat clients, a woman in her 90s, knew the Roosevelts when she was growing up in Dutchess County and has recounted stories to Ms. Maxwell of Eleanor Roosevelt, such as when she set about distributing candy to the kids in her neighborhood.
Like all but one of the CARTS drivers, Brad Kiel was born and bred in Columbia County, though he worked as a letter carrier in Red Hook before he retired. One day he was receiving physical therapy at CMH and saw a CARTS driver (they wear a “uniform” with a CARTS monogram on the polo shirt) and the relationship between the driver and client was touching. Mr. Kiel immediately called CARTS to see if there was a job opening.
The drivers find that they, the medical personnel who attend a client, and perhaps a Meals-on-Wheels driver are often the only human contact their clients have, as many live alone. One client, getting into a car with Mr. Mosley, announced: “One of two things is going to happen now. Either you’ll talk to me or you’ll listen to me.”
While none of the clients pays the consortium for their services, and many could not afford to do so, one man drops off a bag of change every year and a woman recently said she wanted to make a donation and would give the driver the money she planned to spend on milk and bread that night. The driver refused to take the money. Another frequent passenger is known to bring homemade baked goods for her driver — frosted chocolate cake being a favorite.
In turn, though “against the rules,” drivers have been known to buy food for their clients on the drive home (apple cider and pumpkin donuts in season or an ice cream cone). Sometimes, it likewise seems necessary to “take the long way around” to see Christmas lights or fall foliage.
While some of the stories the drivers could tell are “unprintable,” Mr. Mosley gave an example of the bond that often develops between driver and client. He frequently drove a woman we will call Clara from her nursing home to various doctors, and they often talked about opera, which she loved. Mr. Mosley was friendly with renowned opera singer Alfred Walker who, when not performing around the world, lives in Columbia County. Mr. Mosley arranged a visit between the two, and Mr. Walker spent 45 minutes at the nursing home talking shop with Clara. Mr. Walker has since invited Clara to hear him perform at Bard, and he sends her Playbills.
This paper has covered “Third Acts” — the “jobs” people take on in retirement in service of their communities (see the November 10 and November 18, 2023 issues). While not intended as such, CARTS is another example of county residents finding joy in serving other county residents.
More information about the Healthcare Consortium and its other programs including healthcare navigation and insurance advice, CARTS and the August 1 CARTS 25th anniversary celebration can be found on the Consortium’s website: columbiahealthnet.org.
To contact reporter Deborah E. Lans email deborahlans@icloud.com
CARTS has been transporting for 25 years
HUDSON—The Healthcare Consortium is celebrating 25 years of the Children and Adult Rural Transportation Service (CARTS).
Since the program’s first days of operation back in 1999, CARTS has helped people to get and stay healthy by bringing them to and from their healthcare appointments. The Healthcare Consortium celebrates this milestone Thursday, August 1 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Upper Depot Brewing Co., 708 State Street, Hudson. The party is open to the public. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased onsite or online at columbiahealthnet.org/CARTS_25years/.
Whether undergoing dialysis treatment or needing frequent physical therapy after an injury, CARTS provides rides to Columbia County residents, regardless of their age, income, or insurance status, who live in every corner of the county.
In the past 25 years, CARTS has provided 250,000 trips to healthcare providers and facilities, both within Columbia County and well beyond its borders, covering 3.7 million miles. Utilizing their own fleet of clean and carefully maintained vehicles and courteous and compassionate drivers who are truly the heart and soul of the program, CARTS is committed to ensuring that every member of the community can connect to their care.
Email Sydney at skeiler@columbiahealthnet.org with any questions.
