This week Hoboken University Medical Center will begin to provide complimentary van service to pick up residents throughout Hudson County that are scheduled for outpatient procedures at the hospital. The service begins on April 9 and runs Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The transportation service is distinct from existing public transportation options like the HOP or New Jersey Transit because it is free and picks up patients right at their home doorstep or at their doctor’s office.
“We realize that in these socioeconomic times it has become more difficult for people to get to a medical center,” said Allyson Miller, vice president of business development and physicians relations at HUMC, last week. “We wanted to provide access to the hospital.”
To schedule a pick up call the transportation line at (201) 418-2828.
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Miller said there was a need for the van service after talking to leaders from various community organizations that once provided a similar type of service, but due to funding cuts had to stop.
Miller could not specify how the program is funded but said that the hospital would bear the costs to offer the service.
“We are not looking to make any money off this service,” said Miller. “There is no cost to the community. Costs are completely absorbed by the medical center.”
Last month HUMC kicked off a new Senior Dining Program that each Monday and Wednesday offers senior citizens a well-balanced meal for $5. HUMC also launched this program to help those who are struggling financially.
Door to door service
Any patient scheduled for an outpatient procedure can call the van service to arrange to be picked up and then taken to the hospital. Outpatient procedures include same-day surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, endoscopy, infusion therapy, radiology and non-evasive cardiology procedures as well as any other common outpatient procedure.
To schedule a pick up call the transportation line at (201) 418-2828.
“We are going to their homes as well as their doctors’ offices,” said Miller.
“If a physician says ‘I would like for you to go to this procedure,’ they can call the transportation line.” Patients can also call the van service if they are going to a lecture or a seminar at the hospital.
Miller said the hospital will have two vans operating Monday through Friday. The vans, which are provided in coordination with Michael McCabe of McCabe Ambulance, bring the patient directly to the medical center via the front lobby. Miller said that if there is a need the hospital will add more vans.
The free van service is not for emergencies and anyone who has a medical emergency should call 911, noted Miller.
“We don’t want people to use it if they are in a life threatening situation,” said Miller. She also said the vans do not accommodate individuals in wheel chairs.
Same day pick-up
To access the van service, anyone in Hudson County can call the HUMC transportation line, which handles scheduling. Miller anticipates that an individual can call the morning of a procedure scheduled for the afternoon and make it to their appointment on time. She expects that there will be no wait time.
“We have a scheduling process,” said Miller. “The scheduling team is very organized and will make sure that everyone is picked up on time.”
She also said that there is a central location in the lobby for individuals that need a ride back after their procedure.
If someone arrives at the medical center by another means but needs a ride home, they can also access the van service.
The service is also available to those that are admitted to the hospital and then discharged.
“Hopefully people will use the service,” said Miller. “We want them to access it.”
Across Hudson County
HUMC officially opened under new ownership last year after being sold to Holdco, a private company that also co-owns Bayonne Medical Center and most recently was awarded a bid to buy Christ Hospital in Jersey City, which is pending state approval.
If the sale goes through, three out of the six hospitals in Hudson County will be owned by the same company.
Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus, another for-profit entity, also recently began offering free shuttle service to seven communities in Bergen and Hudson counties.
When asked if the three hospitals owned by Holdco would specialize in certain types of procedures and then transport patients between locations according to need, Miller said that it was too early to speculate, given the pending approval for Christ Hospital.
She said Bayonne Medical Center has its own transportation service, and once the process moves forward with Christ Hospital she envisions some type of transportation service would be provided.
For more information, contact HUMC at: (201) 418-1000.
Adriana Rambay Fernández may be reached at afernandez@hudsonreporter.com.