Madison County Mobility Management, part of the Madison County Rural Health Council (MCRHC), has been awarded $2,500 from an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Award to expand transportation services to residents that MCRHC Mobility Management program is not currently able to serve.

Through this funding, MCRHC plans to expand their current transportation services to assist persons who are on the threshold of senior services and/or not yet age eligible (60 and younger) and are facing transportation barriers.

With limited to no public transportation options in Madison County, residents under the age of 60 without a personal vehicle struggle when trying to meet their medical, food, and household shopping needs, officials say. This funding will allow MCRHC Mobility Management to deliver transportation services through one-on-one visits as part of the MCRHC Travel Training program.

Additionally, funding may be used to add billboards in Hamilton and Oneida.

Through a competitive application process, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Community Health Awards provide funding to launch, expand, and sustain programs and services that promote health, officials say.

“Providing access to high-quality health care is core to our mission as a nonprofit health plan,” states Eve Van de Wal, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Utica regional president. “We are proud to support the work of Madison County Rural Health Council with essential community health funding to remove transportation barriers and improve community health.”