Several Nelson kidney patients have suffered another setback in their efforts to find affordable transportation to dialysis appointments at the hospital in Trail.
Millie Harper, who is among them, says the Castlegar driver who was giving them rides recently through his private service died suddenly last month. He charged $50 per trip, which only allowed him to break even, although it still added up to $150 per week or about $600 per month for riders.
Since then, the patients have been relying on a patchwork of solutions: the Kootenay Seniors volunteer transportation program has taken them a few times, as have some drivers who worked for the man who died, but Harper isn’t sure if either option can be maintained. Family members have also helped out, but had to take time off work to do so, she added.
“It’s a little bit more stressful than what we need right now,” Harper said. “We’re hoping things will work out and we can get regular drivers again, but that will wait to be seen.”
Harper was one of three patients who took the shuttle several times a week. She said to her knowledge no one has missed an appointment, although she doesn’t know what arrangements another woman using the same shuttle service in the afternoon has made.
Before they negotiated an arrangement with the Castlegar provider, Harper and four others were left in the lurch when the Nelson CARES bus service ended in May. It provided three-day-a-week round trips for $35.
She said while they would like to find another reliable transportation option, better still would be dialysis services provided at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, as they are in Creston and Grand Forks.
“I’m sure there’s room at the hospital and some service clubs who would help fundraise for it,” she said.
In a prepared statement, Interior Health said it appreciates the challenges patients in Nelson and other rural communities face accessing dialysis services in Trail.
The health authority said its renal social worker is trying to help, including providing patients with information about other taxi and shuttle options as well as “potential financial support for those who are facing financial hardship.”
Interior Health said it is “not in a position” to open additional community dialysis units, but is exploring options for outreach services to support pre-dialysis patients in Nelson and area.
“We are also working with all patients who need dialysis to determine if home dialysis is an option as it minimizes travel and improves quality of life,” they said.