Wentworth-Douglass grant provides $10K to Alliance for Community Transportation

Foster's Daily Democrat
·2 min read
From left to right are Wentworth-Douglass Planning Data Analyst and Community Benefits Manager, Meaghan Heusler; Regional Mobility Manager, Alliance for Community Transportation & TripLink, Jeff Donald; Contracts and Data Quality Manager, Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, Cheryl Robicheau; and Executive Director Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST), Rad Nichols.

DOVER – For the third straight year, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has awarded a $10,000 community benefit grant to the Alliance for Community Transportation (ACT), a group that provides community transportation, largely for seniors and adults with disabilities, in Southeastern New Hampshire. Wentworth-Douglass awarded the same grant in 2022 and 2023, which allows ACT to access additional federal funds.

“We have firsthand insight into the profound effect ACT’s programs have on enhancing the health and wellness of our Seacoast communities,” said Meaghan Heusler, Wentworth-Douglass community benefits manager. “By combining our contribution with federal funding, ACT will be able to eliminate transportation and coordination obstacles for numerous individuals in our neighborhoods.”

ACT’s lead agency and fiscal sponsor is the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST), but its work is primarily funded by Federal Transit Administration funds that are passed through the NH Department of Transportation. ACT must provide non-USDOT funding to leverage federal funding.

“I extend my gratitude once again to Wentworth-Douglass for their continued support in funding this vital service that ensures wellness for so many across our region," said Jeff Donald, regional mobility manager for ACT and TripLink, a regional transportation call center. TripLink operated continuously throughout the pandemic, ensuring that the region’s most vulnerable residents continued to have access to medical care, grocery shopping, and other transportation needs.

“We booked more than 36,000 trips last year for over 700 people, and we’re on track to exceed pre-pandemic levels of ridership this year with over 41,000 trips expected. Our aging population creates an increased need for transportation, allowing seniors to receive regular medical care and age in place,” said Donald, “Aging in place not only allows seniors the ability to continue to participate in their communities, but it’s also more cost-effective for tax-payers than institutional housing.”

Wentworth-Douglass conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years to identify where the hospital should focus its programs and services to improve the overall health of the individuals and families it serves. The funds donated are approved by the hospital’s Community Benefit Funding Disbursement Committee and are not raised through any public or private donations.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wentworth-Douglass grant provides $10K to Alliance for Community Transportation