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Knox Mobility official outlines gaps in out-of-county medical transportation, proposes county-first pilot
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Summary
Mobility manager Joe Porter told council the county’s mobility program connects residents with transportation resources but does not pay for trips; he described high out-of-county costs for specialty medical care and said he will seek council support for a pilot to help offset those costs.
Joe Porter, program coordinator for mobility management at Knox Public Health, briefed Mount Vernon council March 24 on the county’s mobility-management work and described a service gap for residents who must travel outside the county for specialty medical appointments.
Porter said mobility management is a resource-navigation program—staff help residents find and arrange transportation but do not provide or pay for rides. He said the county maintains a robust mix of public and private providers and that Knox County’s system is stronger than many counties in Ohio.
Porter told the council that for some residents the cost of out-of-county round trips to Columbus or Cleveland for specialty care can be “hundreds” to “as much as $3,400” for a round trip on some private services. He said Job and Family Services’ NET (non‑emergency transportation) program will pay for some trips for Medicaid recipients, and nursing-home residents may get some out‑of‑county transportation through institutional arrangements, but many Medicare beneficiaries and others who do not qualify for NET must pay out of pocket.
“That’s the gap we’re trying to fill,” Porter said, describing work with Dane Baumann (NET supervisor, JFS) to build a framework to subsidize or offset those costs for residents who lack NET eligibility. Porter said the county is considering a program to help residents cover out‑of‑county specialist trips and that he expects to return to council to request support for whatever framework is developed.
Porter also described mobility-management work aimed at older residents, including training and assistance so older adults can use public transit and avoid social isolation. He said he coordinates transit planning across county active-transportation and transit partners and maintains the county’s required human transit plan for ODOT compliance.
Councilmembers asked Porter what he would change with a “magic wand.” Porter cited funding for out‑of‑county trips as the top priority and noted his team is pursuing a first-in-state pilot through the mobility-management program to offset specialty travel costs. He asked for the council’s support as the program is developed.
Porter closed by offering to return with more detail as the proposal is refined and to seek council support when appropriate.
