A Journey from CNA to NEMT

Bahati Transportation, Methuen, Massachusetts

In movies and stories, characters can do a single thing that gets them labeled as heroes for life. It’s usually the exciting highlight of the story—the turning point. In real life, heroism is often a lifelong code of behavior, a never-ending series of unexciting and unrecognized turns both great and small of decency to others. For most of the heroes among us, it’s simply choosing to help people in the ways that don’t make headlines across the world, but much more importantly, make a difference in their world.

Such has been the life work of Stephen Mbagu, who since 2017 is the owner of Bahati Transportation, a non-emergency medical transportation business. Starting as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and caring for so many people, he saw another way to help them even more: Some people couldn’t get to their appointments and get the medical treatment they need. Stephen was going to make sure that they did.

“I’ve been in healthcare for about 15 years,” he says, first as a CNA, “and then I went to school, did my nursing, and then I worked as a nurse in a group home, and in nursing homes, taking care of geriatric patients, elderly, behavioral. I’ve always had that passion to take care of those in need and the elderly.”

The Need Was There
Stephen would watch patients being transported to and from facilities in which he worked, and was struck by how the clients depended completely on others to get to their appointments and programs on time. Sometime, though, people couldn’t get to their appointments, for a number of reasons. Maybe the transporter didn’t show up because they were already booked; “maybe the dispatcher did not put in the transportation times,” he recalls. There are so many variables.

“So you realize they have to rebook for that member client again,” Stephen recalls. “It’s cumbersome for the facility, for the member, the fact that they miss their appointments. So I decided, okay, maybe I’ll make a change also. If I start my company, that decreases the number of members missing an appointment. So the more transportation providers we are, the better, because we are going to be able to accommodate people that are not able to drive themselves to the facility.”

And that’s when the lightbulb went on. “I decided to start my own NEMT company, hire good people and train them. And then we can give services to those members. Because the most important thing is to make sure that those people get a good quality of life, just like me and you.”

He muses, “Sometimes there are challenges along the way, but one way or the other, it has worked.”

It’s A Team Effort
Not surprisingly, Stephen’s dedication to making it work extends to his employees. He currently employs six drivers. “My employees dedicate their time and effort to ensure that when they’re given that schedule, they're able to make it work.” And by the end of the day, everybody's happy. And we feel that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.”

Stephen’s idea of what they’re supposed to be doing comes mostly from how he looks at the population he serves—which is to say, they start to feel like family. And it’s important to him that his family gets the services they need. “I drive a wheelchair vehicle. When I take that patient, I take full personal responsibility to make sure that that patient is safe, comfortable, secured, and I talk to them to ensure that I can get their feedback.”

There’s always that one special patient who might strike a deeper cord. One, in particular, just “gets” to Stephen. “Yeah, she's an elderly lady and she’s in a wheelchair. I just see her as my mother. When she sees me, she gives me a smile and when I take her back home to her daughter, her daughter makes me feel as though, yes, she’s getting the life she’s supposed to have.”

A Hero
For making your life’s work a better quality of life for those in need, and taking the extra step of forming and running a company with that philosophy as your mission, we salute you, Stephen Mbagu. You are a hero.

Sincerely,
Modivcare's Go Digital! Team