THE BEACH AND ARE FINDING THEMSELVES ISOLATED AND FEELING ALONE DURING THE PANDEMIC
JOINING ME NOW IS LAURIE
ANDERSON TO EXPLAIN THE WORK
BEING DONE BY DIAL RIGHT.
>> GOOD
MORNING. JENNIFER.
>>LAUREN VERNO: JOINING US I
SEE OVER THE PHONE SO FOR OUR
VIEWERS WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR
WITH DIAL RIDE WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN THE SERVICES THAT IT
OFFERS TO BE JUST RESIDENTS
IN PARTICULAR.
>> I’M LIKE FIRST OF ALL I WANT
AND TRANSIT THING AS A
I HAVEN’T EXACTLY STARTED TO
GET. BUT WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN
DOING
AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL. THAT
I’VE BEEN WITH MISSION HOUSE
FOR 10 YEARS AND THAT
INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATION AND I’M
GOING TO BRING WHAT I LEARNED
THERE TO DIAL RIGHT. BUT I’LL
RIDE IS A LOW COST.
TRANSPORTATION SERVICE, CHRIS
SENIORS AND DISABLED. IN THE
BEACHES AREA
IN IT. THE VERY SIMPLE YOU MAKE
A PHONE CALL A COUPLE DAYS
BEFORE HER APARTMENT
DEPLOYMENT. AND WE TAKE PEOPLE
TO THE DOCTORS, SHOPPING.
HAIRDRESSER. WE ARE TRULY
THEIR CONNECTION SOCIAL
AND MEDICAL
MOST IMPORTANTLY CONNECTIONS IN
THE COMMUNITY. >>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND I THINK GIVEN THE PANDEMIC AND THE
RESTRICTIONS OF COURSE THAT ARE
APPLIED TO
YOU KNOW HOW CLOSE EVERYONE CAN
BE BECAUSE IT IS AFTER ALL KIND
OF A SMALL BUS. I THINK WHAT
MANY PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE ALSO
IS
IS THAT THAT DIAL RIGHT AT YOU
KNOW, I KNOW SOMEBODY WHO’S
VOLUNTEERED AS A DRIVER THERE
FOR
YEARS IS IT IT BECOMES KIND OF
A ROUTINE IN
ONE’S LIFE AND HELPS WITH THAT
SORT OF ISOLATION FEELING YOU
KNOW YOU YOU GET TO KNOW THE
PEOPLE THAT YOU’RE RIDING ON
THE BUS WITH YOU GET TO KNOW
THE DRIVER TALK A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT THE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED
WITH SORT OF THE ISOLATION AND
NOT NECESSARILY BEING ABLE
TO PARTICIPATE IN IN THE
SERVICES THAT IT OFFERS AS A
RESULT OF CONCERNS ABOUT
CATCHING
COVID-19.
CATCHING COVID-19. >> EXACTLY AND IN FACT WE
UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO STOP OUR
SERVICE BECAUSE ALL FOLKS ARE
IN ALONG THE ROAD CATEGORY A 65
WIN OVER BUT DURING THE
PANDEMIC WE PARTNERED WITH BEAM
WHICH IS THE BEACHES. EMERGENCY
ASSISTANCE MINISTRY AND WE
ACTUALLY USE WE HAVE 3 BUT IT
AND WE ACTUALLY USED OR BUSES
TO DELIVER TO SENIORS WHO COULD
NOT GET OUT. INTO SENIORS
AND DISABLED
WE’VE APPROXIMATELY 190
DELIVERY HE SPOKE IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF MONTHS AND WE ARE
CONTINUING TO DO SO.
DURING THE LAST PART OF THE
PANDEMIC BUT WE HAVE 3 BUSES.
AND YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IT
KIND OF A FAMILY OR DRIVERS GET
TO KNOW OUR WRITERS.
>> AND THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE
WITH THEM. AND IT’S JUST IT’S
AMAZING THE RELATIONSHIP AND
THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF BEING WITH
PEOPLE AND
BEING OUT. IT IS JUST
INCREDIBLE IT’S A IT’S A LIFE
CHANGING EXPERIENCE FOR THE
SENIORS, TOO. UNFORTUNATELY FOR
WHATEVER REASON CANNOT DRIVE
ANY LONGER.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO IT’S
INTERESTING JUST I VOLUNTEERED
QUITE A BIT FOR FOR BEING WHICH
YOU MENTIONED AND AND HAVING
BEEN A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF
THE BEACHES. I THINK THAT WHAT
STRIKES ME THE MOST WHEN I HEAR
STORIES ABOUT MISSION HOUSE TO
EXAMPLE OR BE MORE DIAL A RIDE
IS THE REALITY IS IS THAT YOU
HAVE BASICALLY THIS SMALL ARMY
OF VOLUNTEERS BECAUSE.
MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN
JACKSONVILLE, PROPER SO TO
SPEAK HAVE ALL SORTS OF
RESOURCES, BUT THE RESOURCES
CAN BE PRETTY LIMITING AT THE
BEACH, PARTICULARLY IF
YOU DON’T HAVE THE AVAILABILITY
OF BEING ABLE TO DRIVE OR EVEN
TRANSPORTATION TO YOU.
>> EXACTLY AND
WE SAY THE BEACHES BUT WE GO
ALL THE WAY FROM MAYPORT IN THE
PALM OF
THE DRUG WHICH I THINK IS IS A
WONDERFUL THINK A LOT OF OUR
SENIORS ARE IN THE PART OF THE
AREA AND MISSION HOUSE
PARTNERED WITH TYLER AT A
COUPLE OF
YEARS AGO TO BE ABLE TO
ACTUALLY BRING SOME OF OUR
CLIENTS WHO WORK IN PROGRESS
TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM TO THAT
AREA BUT TO GET INTO SAINT
JOHNS COUNTY WAS WAS WONDERFUL.
AND WE GOT A NEW BUS LAST YEAR,
THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF A
LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY
AND WE DOUBLED
OUR RIDERSHIP FROM 2018 TO
2019. WE WHAT WE HAD
3300 RIGHT LAST YEAR. THAT
WAS ALMOST DOUBLE WHAT WE DID THE YEAR BEFORE THAT THE NEED IS GREAT AND AS I START NEXT AS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR I WILL BE
WORKING WITH
THE BOARD TO SEE HOW WE CAN
EXPAND OUR SERVICE EXPAND
OR BUSES. I KNOW WE HAVE A THAT
WE’RE WAITING ON SO THAT WE CAN
REPLACE ONE OF THE OLDER BUSES.
SO THAT WE DO A RISK. A
BREAKDOWN OR ANYTHING LIKE
BUT THIS IS TRULY A SERVICE IN
WITH THE COMMUNITY
BECOMING OLDER AND I BELIEVE BY
2020 TO 21% OF OUR POPULATION
WILL BE 65 OR OLDER.
THIS NEED IS JUST GOING TO GROW
AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE’RE THERE AND READY TO ANSWER
THE CALL WHEN FOLKS HAVE
A NEED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: LORI ANDERSON
JOINING US OVER THE PHONE.
THANK YOU LAURIE APPRECIATE WE
WANT TO REMIND OUR VIEWERS IF
YOU ARE HOMEBOUND SENIOR LIVING
IN THE BEACHES COMMUNITY MANY
MOVED
THERE RECENTLY. OR YOU HAVE A
DISABILITY YOU CAN CALL AT DIAL
A RIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT FINDING OF THEM ACCESS