In Ohio, Medicaid will pay an 'approved' transportation service to take consumers to medical appointments. The 'approved' companies generally specialize in transporting people with disabilities and senior citizens. I used the services of the same transportation company for nearly 15 years. Their customer service was awesome! (FYI - I have a physical disability and use a wheelchair.)
About two years ago, one of their drivers who I was unfamiliar with came to take me to a dentist appointment. It was snowing that day, but not bad...just a normal winter day in northeast Ohio. The driver clung to the steering wheel, white-knuckle style, and repeated "I'm not used to driving in the snow. I'll try my best to get you there though." ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME???? My dentist was an hour away. By the time we got about 5 miles from my house, I was so freaked out that I made her turn around and take me home. She scared the bajeezus out of me!
As soon as I got home I called the company and told them what I just told you. I spoke directly with the supervisor, who we'll call "Mo." Mo was a driver when I started using the service and she had taken me to many appointments and has a firm understanding of how medically fragile I am. She apologized and said she wouldn't send her again. LIE!!
Guess who showed up to take me to my next appointment? If your guess was Captain White-Knuckle, you guessed right! Against my better judgement, I got in the van... I regretted that decision almost immediately. While she was loading me into the van, she told me that it stalled on her way to get me. Since the transport facility was near-by, I asked her if we should switch vehicles before we hit the highway. She said that was not necessary. Guess what happend about 5 minutes after we got on the highway??? The van died. The company had to bring us another wheelchair-van. My Home Health Aide who was 6 months pregnant had to carry my 40lb ass down the highway to the second van, which was parked ridiculously far away.
I finally made it to my appointment. Little did I know that the worst was yet to come. She got us lost! She pulled into a gas station to turn around and backed the van into a gas pump!!! The impact was so hard that my pregnant HHA came up off the seat. Fortunately, my wheelchair was tied down properly or I would have gone flying. I thought I had whip-lash or broke a bone. As I mentioned somewhere, I am medically fragile. She refused to call 911. She refused to get out of the vehicle to asses any damages. She just fled the scene. I felt kidnapped. I was terrified and physically hurt.
She took me home. I called Mo. The only thing Mo had to say was "No one else has ever complained about her." She didn't even ask me if I was ok. I was in shock and hurt, physically and emotionally. I'd known Mo half my life and trusted her and the company with my safety.
The majority of the people that this company transports are mentally retarded or otherwise cognitively impaired! THEY CAN'T TELL ON PEOPLE WHO HURT THEM OR PUT THEM IN DANGER!!!!
People with disabilities are easily and often subject to abuse If you don't believe me, read this.
This is your tax dollars at work. Medicaid paid this company, to pay this woman to terrorize and injure me. I consider this Medicaid fraud. Do you?
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