Offered through Rainbow Rider, the ride service is for residents of a five-county area, including Douglas County. 1:20 pm, Feb. 19, 2021
Rainbow Rider is looking for volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles to bring local residents to medical appointments.
Residents with PrimeWest medical insurance or Medical Assistance qualify for the rides, which sometimes take them as far as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Other destinations include Fargo, St. Cloud and the Twin Cities, said Kayla Geister, volunteer driver coordinator for Rainbow Rider.
Drivers volunteer their time but do get reimbursed mileage, depending on the federal reimbursement rate. Right now, it s 56 cents per mile.
Ride service brings age 65-plus to appointments, grocery shopping. Written By: Karen Tolkkinen | ×
A ride service for those 65-and-up has returned to a five-county area that includes Douglas County, and the program supervisor said customers are happy to hear it.
“They really loved the program and there’s a lot of excitement that it’s returning because there’s a lot of need,” said Brenda Larson, the Aging Well coordinator for West Central Minnesota Communities Action.
Called Ready Ride, the program depends on a state grant that expired in 2019, leaving elderly customers concerned about being able to get to their doctor’s appointments and run errands, she said. The ride service was not offered in 2020.