For Casino resident Peter Hunt, the funding to keep Richmond Valley Volunteer Health Transport (RVVHT) on the road is truly a matter of life and death.
Peter uses the community transport service to travel to Lismore’s St Vincent Hospital for life-saving renal dialysis three days a week. Funding for the service is provided by Healthy North Coast under the Healthy Towns program.
“People are picked up at their home and taken by volunteer drivers to their medical procedures or appointments and returned when required,” says Peter.
“Naturally, with maybe a few exceptions, the majority of people who receive this wonderful service are the elderly. This is a great relief to all people. Not to have worry and anxiety about how to get to their appointments is very reassuring.
“I cannot begin to thank the wonderful volunteer drivers and all those responsible for the smooth running of the transport provided to the people of Casino and surrounds.”
In the first six months of the RVVHT’s operation, its volunteer drivers undertook nearly 1,800 trips. It has 488 clients on its database and provides an average 74 return trips a week.
Coordinator Jodi Morriss says the RVVHT filled a gap in local services that other providers couldn’t cover.
“The Healthy Towns grant allowed us to continue providing medical transport to the most vulnerable people in our community,” says Jodi. “Our community relies on our service.”
Pictured: Two Casino clients of Richmond Valley Volunteer Health Transport, Barry Townsend (seated front) and Peter Hunt (seated rear), in the service’s modified VW Caddy. With them is volunteer driver and RVVHT management committee chairman Chris Wakely.