Going the Extra Mile–Literally

Potomac Valley Transit Authority, WV

Greg Staub is a transportation provider with Potomac Valley Transit Authority, an agency that covers a five-county area in West Virginia. That might not mean much to you if you’re not from around there, so here’s a clue: It's the largest land mass in the state. In fact, the agency covers about 2,800 square miles, running about 140–150 trips per day.

But here’s another thing: There aren’t a lot of resources available to people in need of
non-emergency medical transportation there, so to them, the five-county coverage means everything.

And those people mean an awful lot to Greg. “It’s an emotional thing,” he says. “It really is.”

Connecting with the Patients
“Greg has been just an incredible driver,” says Doug, his supervisor. “He has so much compassion.” Listening to Greg speak about the people he transports—“getting to know them, getting to know where they live and the special needs of getting in and out,” as Greg puts it—his feelings about them come through loud and clear. “People rely on us being there,” he says. As an example, he notes that “most of our dialysis patients have to go a long distance because they don’t live in an area where there’s a dialysis center for them. They have to be there—in any kind of weather.”

“I had one rider not too long ago . . . you could tell she had a lot of anxiety about riding in a bus in her wheelchair, so we did a lot of extra strapping the wheelchair in, making sure it was really tight,” he recalls. “She had a lot of [anxiety]. We did what we could to quell that.”

“Another lady I’ve been taking to the hospital for chemo and radiation . . . well, at times, she was discouraged,” Greg says. Greg encouraged her by sharing what he’s heard about advances in cancer therapies, and telling her stories of his neighbor’s success in cancer treatment. “It changed her outlook on it,” he says.

Doug notes that the impact drivers like Greg have “on a day-to-day basis is enormous.” That these people can depend on Greg, especially for these long-distance trips, “enhances their quality of life. That’s what it boils down to.”

“Getting up in the morning,” Greg says, “I have a purpose.”

A Hero
For giving your patients the confidence of knowing they can rely on transportation to medical facilities that would otherwise be out of range for them, and for taking extra steps to help them with their needs great and small when you pick them up and drop them off, thank you, Greg Staub. You are a Hero.

Sincerely,
Modivcare's Go Digital! Team