Care-A-Van Takes Residents to Doctors

Unlike most Ventura County residents who rely on public transportation, residents of Camarillo and Somis need not drive, call a taxi or take the bus to visit a doctor.

In the only service of its kind in the county, the Camarillo Health Care District offers an inexpensive door-to-door service to people who need to get to a routine doctor’s appointment. The health care district is similar to a school district in that it is a governmental entity and not a commercial enterprise.

The district’s non-emergency medical transportation service is the only public program that offers citizens of all ages rides to doctors’ offices throughout the county.

For a fee ranging from $3.50 to $8.50 for a one-way trip, depending on the destination, residents can schedule a ride up to two weeks in advance or with as little notice as 48 hours, said Annette Montoya, director of the Care-A-Van program.

The Care-A-Van program offers residents an alternative to taxi fares that can reach $40 and infrequent bus service. However, taxicab companies in Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Thousand Oaks offer senior citizens low-cost rides to destinations within city boundaries.

“Our service is absolutely critical,” Montoya said. “Without us, many people simply wouldn’t be able to get the routine medical care they need.”

Since it was established four years ago, the program has grown from transporting an average of 400 residents a month to 550, prompting health care district officials last April to purchase a new van to keep up with the demand, Montoya said.

The district, which subsidizes the transportation program, now owns three vans with space for 20 passengers and seven wheelchairs, she said.