Saint Anthony Hospital, one of Chicago’s longest running hospitals, is using a City of Chicago grant to buy four new electric vehicles and charging stations for the hospital’s free transportation service.
With rising costs in automobiles, gas, and rideshare programs, Saint Anthony Hospital has seen an increase in demand for the free pick-up and drop-off service the hospital offers to its patients.
“Our registration team, they ask them why did you miss that appointment and they’ll come out and say oh we didn’t have transportation we missed the bus or something along those lines and that’s when they offer our services,” said Mike Sellers, assistant vice president of support services at Saint Anthony Hospital.
Saint Anthony Hospital had planned on replacing its fleet of four standard vehicles with electric vehicles. Administrators purchased the first one and then learned they been awarded the City of Chicago Climate Infrastructure Grant, which would pay for the three additional electric vehicles.
Going green saves the hospital money on gasoline costs, as they help patients save money too.
“If I had to get into a cab to come over here and pay $10 here and back that is a lot of money that I don’t have,” said Jacqueline Tiggs, a patient who uses the free transportation services.
Saint Anthony Hospital has a goal of increasing access to make healthcare more available in underserved communities.
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“Saint Anthony Hospital provides a few hundred rides per month,” Sellers said.
“To be able to get transportation is huge. I wish that more people did know about the transportation and they can use it, especially people with disabilities,” said Tiggs.
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