Overview:

- In Detroit, transportation barriers are putting vulnerable patients at risk, leading to economic distress and missed medical appointments.
- Yet, hope is on the horizon as Planet Detroit highlights crucial resources like St. Patrick Senior Center, Rides to Care, DDOT, MyRide2, The Senior Alliance, and United Way's Ride United.
- These initiatives empower pregnant women, new mothers, older adults, and people with disabilities by providing free or subsidized rides to essential medical care.

This story was produced as a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s National Fellowship, with support from the National Fellowship Fund and the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism.

Without transportation resources, patients in Detroit often struggle to reach hospitals, pharmacies or clinics. 

Those burdens have caused economic distress, anxiety, hindered opportunities for social connection, resulted in missed medical appointments and put the city’s most vulnerable patients at risk of worsening health. Without a car, medical trips can become more burdensome due to rising living costs and fragmented public transit networks.

Planet Detroit found some resources that can help get patients in southeast Michigan to medical care. 

St. Patrick Senior Center

Located in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood, the center offers older adults rides to and from the center and to medical appointments, including check-ups and dialysis. To learn more, call 313-831-2520.

Rides to Care

Launched by the Detroit Health Department, Rides to Care offers pregnant women, new mothers, and caregivers of babies less than a year old free, round-trip rides to medical appointments. The service provides rides to anywhere within Detroit and up to five miles outside of the city. Rides should be requested at least one hour before an appointment or can be scheduled up to an hour in advance. To schedule a ride, call 313-876-0000.

Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT)

Launched in June, DDOT Now serves residents with disabilities who are unable to use the system’s fixed route buses. The same-day service is available for current and future riders of the city’s paratransit service. A paratransit rider application can be found here. 

DDOT Now is available from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and riders can book a ride up to an hour in advance. For more information, call 313-570-6845.

MyRide2

MyRide2 is a free mobility management service developed by AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services. The service connects older and disabled adults with rides to medical appointments, errands and social activities and is available in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties. For more information, call 855-697-4332 or visit myride2.com. 

The Senior Alliance

The Dearborn-based organization offers free transportation services for adults age 60 and older living in communities in southern and western Wayne county. Transportation services are provided if no other community option is available. For more information, call 734-722-2830 or visit the senioralliance.org. 

American Kidney Fund, Safety Net Grant Program

The American Kidney Fund helps millions of Americans with kidney disease live healthier lives. The organization’s safety net grants help offset the costs associated with kidney disease care, including transportation to dialysis and medical appointments. To learn more information and apply, call 1-800-795-3226.  

United Way, Ride United

Ride United is a transportation initiative of the United Way conducted in partnership with Lyft. The organization aims to connect residents with transportation resources, as well as those in need of rides to essential services, through its 211 networks. For assistance, call 2-1-1 to speak with a specialist about transportation resources.

More in our ‘Stuck and sick in the Motor City’ series

Eleanore Catolico is a freelance reporter and editor based in southeast Michigan.