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<br />Transportation Discussion Circle: <br />The transportation session had five panelists representing different segments of <br />public transport in the county: Orange County Public Transportation (OPT), <br />Triangle Transit Authority (TTA), Chapel Hill Transit, Orange County Emergency <br />Medical Services (EMS), and the HARP (American Association of Retired Persons) <br />Driver Safety Program. Each panelist spoke briefly about the services provided by <br />their respective organization or program. <br />TTA currently offers bus and shuttle services to Wake, Durham, and Orange <br />counties, as well as ride sharing, and is developing regional rail services. OPT <br />provides bus and door-to-door transit services to within and beyond Chapel Hill and <br />Carrboro to the rest of Orange County. The two programs coordinate to offer <br />transportation through the Triangle region. One participant expressed concern <br />about the extent and cost of TTA services for transportation to medical <br />appointments. Other group members brought up similar concerns, revealing a need <br />for improved communication to the public on the type of services offered besides <br />the OPT bus system. <br />An administrator from the UNC hospital <br />expressed difficulty in arranging <br />transportation for discharged elderly <br />patients who are without family or <br />caretakers, particularly during the evenings <br />and weekend. Currently the hospital utilizes <br />taxicabs for transportation, but there is a <br />need for accessible hospital-to-door service <br />in more appropriate vehicles. The EMS <br />representative commented that public <br />transport workers have body training but cannot be expected to act as a health <br />monitor and perform their job. He mentioned experiences when drivers have <br />transported discharged patients during the day without knowing if there would be <br />anyone to help at the home. Another concern was the transportation of patients to <br />outside the public services jurisdictions, specifically regarding OPT transporting <br />hospital patients to beyond Orange County. It was evident that there was a need <br />for communication from both sides to address this issue. <br />Page 5 of 18 <br />