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Family of Services: Innovative Transportation Services for Older Adults Session Two

Tuesday, Feb. 26. 2-3 p.m. EST

As we all know, there is no one mode of transportation that satisfies the needs of all older adults. As a result, a “Family of Transportation Services” is needed to provide older adults with essential transportation options. This family of services is recognized and supported by United We Ride, a federal interagency initiative that coordinates human services transportation.  UWR has recently issued a fact sheet on the family of transportation services.  This resource lists and defines an array of transportation services that may be utilized in communities to increase transportation options for older adults.

During this session, Karen Hoesch, Executive Director, Access Transportation Systems, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Hank Braaksma, Transportation General Manager, Seniors Resource Center, Denver, Colorado discussed the innovative transportation services their agencies provide for older adults. This one-hour program started at 2 p.m. EST Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Supplemental materials related to the presentation are now available. These materials are intended as additional resources to provide more in-depth information and it is not necessary to download them for the presentation.

Meet the presenters:

Karen Hoesch
Hoesch is Executive Director of ACCESS Transportation Systems. In this capacity she oversees the daily operation of one of the largest paratransit brokerage programs in the United States providing about 1.8 million trips annually throughout Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania. ACCESS, sponsored by Port Authority of Allegheny County is known for its high level of coordination, including more than 125 sponsoring agencies, unique system design and its ADA paratransit eligibility determination process, which is a national model. ACCESS was also presented a 2005 United We Ride National Leadership Award by U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Norman Y. Mineta, for outstanding efforts to coordinate human service transportation.

Hoesch has authored several guides and publications for Easter Seals Project ACTION, since 1996 has served as an instructor for the National Transit Institute’s Comprehensive ADA Paratransit Eligibility Determinations Workshop, and has participated as a faculty member in Easter Seals Project ACTION’s Mobility Planning Services Institute and CTAA’s Institute for Transportation Coordination. Ms. Hoesch has been with ACCESS since 1979.

Hank Braaksma
Braaksma has more than twenty years experience in all aspects of specialized transportation services, including direct service provision and the brokering of services. As Manager of Transportation for the Seniors’ Resource Center in Denver, Colorado, he directs all aspects of the $1.8 million, multiple county, door-to-door, specialized transportation and brokering service for the frail elderly and persons with disabilities. He supervises paid and volunteer staff, and is responsible for all record keeping, statistics, computer programs, policy implementation, accident investigations, general safety, grant preparation and development of policies and budget. He oversees fleet maintenance, vehicle bid specifications, and vehicle purchasing. He has a Certificate in Supervision through the University of Colorado, Denver. In 1998, he earned a Certified Community Transit Manager certification from the Community Transits Association of America. He is an alumnus of the Leadership Jefferson County Program. He served on the Board of the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies for six years, and was elected Board President in 2001. He currently is Board Vice President of the Denver Regional Mobility and Access Council.

Transcripts for this event are now available. Braille and/or audio CDs can be requested by contacting us at NCSTdistancelearning@easterseals.com.

If you have any questions regarding this event, contact Kristi Ross at 866-528-6278 or kross@easterseals.com.

The National Center on Senior Transportation is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration and with guidance from the U.S. Administration on Aging. NCST is administered by Easter Seals Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).