Community service gets personal
STARS volunteer driver Ann Marland assisting Christopher West with a ride to a medical appointment
By Rennie Morrell
A friend called me recently, distraught, tearful, and saying there was a letter in her mail when she returned from her holiday trip revoking her driver’s license for health reasons. The hurt and dismay were palpable, and I felt helpless to my toes. None of us expect or want such news, but it happens. One minute my friend could drive to the gym and the next she could not. She could go see friends, then she was home alone except for her aging dog. Before the letter, she could drive to Rays and Bi-Mart for groceries and supplies but no more. Her life changed forever.
As Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS) Program Manager, I knew she could get to her medical appointments, but beyond that I racked my brain for advice on how she could remain active, socially engaged, and independent in Sisters. It is a question for many of us - how will we manage to age in place in our small rural community? The problem is particularly acute for those who live alone and have no family in the area, a situation not uncommon in Sisters.
STARS’ demand for medical rides grew thirty-five percent in 2023 and as our population growth continues, you may rest assured transportation is not a community service that can be neglected. Making sure residents can see their doctors helps keep a community healthy. Sisters needs STARS.
Caring STARS volunteers drove over 20,000 miles in 2023 taking people to medical appointments. And the increased demand for crucial medical rides is why STARS has not expanded to help in other ways. Of course, friends and neighbors step up to help each other, but passengers tell us that calling STARS gives them a sense of independence lost when they must ask others for rides.
Cascade East Transit (CET) helps with Dial-A-Ride, Shoppers Shuttle, and buses if people do not have mobility, vision, memory, or other issues making it unsafe or unreasonable for riders to use public transit. They have an outstanding service for veterans and provide them free medical rides, but except for the veteran program, CET is not designed for the types of curb-to-curb medical rides STARS does for Sisters’ residents. That is why the STARS Team exists. We gratefully partner with CET and help fill a gap that public transport simply cannot address.
The STARS Team have taken on many initiatives to grow and refine the services and the most recent is applying for and being accepted as an OHSU-MBA Capstone Study participant. The study will be completed in late May 2024. Jessica Walter, Director, Division of Management School of Medicine, OHSU notified STARS of the acceptance saying, “We were overwhelmed with project submissions! And we are pleased to tell you that your project Bridging the Gap for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) in Sisters, Oregon has been accepted as a capstone project for our MBA students.” The STARS model is working well, but with OHSU’s support, we will complete a services gap analysis and will find ways to make STARS more sustainable for our community.
In 2019, a volunteer group founded STARS and has managed it for over four years. They are an intelligent, caring, and dedicated group who are currently transitioning the STARS AFSC Action Team to an independent 501c3 organization. They rely on the generosity of caring volunteer dispatchers and drivers to make the program work. They get funding from donors and grantors to pay for software, phones support, mileage reimbursement and administrative costs. They have created a culture of helpfulness, and they support each other and the community with professionalism and generosity. They have created and continue to grow an organization that uses technology to give volunteers a flexible and rewarding opportunity to contribute.
STARS operates efficiently and effectively, but volunteer turnover, additional skill needs, and continuous funding requirements make it necessary for the community to take notice and get involved. Perhaps you will never need to ride with STARS, but your support may be important to friends like mine who thought they would be helping others, not asking for help.
Learn more, volunteer or donate. Call us at 541-904-5545 if you need a ride. Interested in serving on a new board providing such a vital service? Send us an email at volunteer@starsride.org. Sisters, we need you, and you need us. Rennie Morrell, STARS Program Manager, rennie@starsride.org.
