Veterans facing medical issues are finding it increasingly difficult to get a round-trip ride to the Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis.
The problem is the increasing difficulty in recruiting volunteer drivers to drive the 12-passenger van, according to Angel Walker, who coordinates the transportation program sponsored by the Bartholomew County Veteran Services office.
Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, as many as 14 volunteers were on the schedule to drive former military personnel to the VA medical center, Veteran Services Officer Larry Garrity said.
“But right now, we only have a handful of drivers,” Garrity said. “No more than five.”
While that is true, Walker says she only has about two drivers that she describes as consistently dependable.
One driver, Tim Thayer of Hope, says he’s been trying to contact local veteran organizations to recruit volunteers. But he’s not receiving return phone calls.
When Walker isn’t on the phone trying to coax a person into driving, she’s attempting different recruiting tactics.
“I’ve tried different Facebook posts, made flyers, and trying to talk visitors and their families into distribute the flyers,” Walker said.
She has even called former drivers who have quit, and tried to get them to come back. However, Walker said they won’t.
The arrival of COVID-19 brought the transportation service for veterans to a complete halt for a number of months last year, Walker said. Even now, the van carries no more than two patients who are kept separate from one another, as well as each being required to wear a mask, she said.
In April, the Veteran Services office was able to transport 22 veterans to the VA medical facility, while younger veterans tended to utilize the Wakeman VA Clinic at Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Garrity said.
However, he emphasized there are certain procedures such as therapy treatments and X-rays that can only take place at Roudebush.
Thayer said these medical round-trips to Indianapolis is a necessary service.
“My guess is that three-quarters don’t have a driver’s license and don’t have a car, so they can’t get up there on their own,” Thayer said.
While the fear of COVID-19 still has a negative impact on driver recruitment efforts, there are other things that also concern potential volunteer drivers.
“It does require you to get up early, and you never know when you’ll be back,” said Thayer, who explained drivers often have to wait for hours until all of their patients have been treated.
“Most of our veterans are good at making morning appointments, so they can be back in Columbus around the noon hour,” Walker said. “But there are a few clinics that only do afternoon appointments.”
Other negative factors for driver recruitment cited by Garrity include:
An increased number of in-person visits at Roudebush VA Medical Center, which makes wait times longer.
The fear some have of driving in heavy Indianapolis traffic, especially around construction zones.
Two volunteers have developed medical problems that prevents them from driving.
But another problem arises after drivers from the Columbus area talk to their counterparts from other counties and discover they are being paid, Garrity said. That leaves local volunteers wondering why Bartholomew County cannot pay its drivers, he said.
The fact that some counties are now paying drivers is making it rough on the Veteran Services Office, Walker said.
“Of course, we’re in the day and age where you get less and less people who are willing to volunteer,” she said.
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Requirements to be a volunteer driver who provides veterans with round-trips to Indianapolis for medical treatments include having a regular driver’s license and being approved by the insurance carrier for Bartholomew County.
If you can help, call the Veteran Services office at 812-379-1540.
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