UVIP Public Meeting on May 17 attended by over 200!Over 200 citizens and 14 public officials gathered at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Lebanon on Sunday, May 17 to hear UVIP urge improvement of public transportation access to Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, for the benefit of both patients and employees.The presentation talked about the current lack of scheduled bus service to the hospital, and how that impacts patients and employees alike. Central were the stories of several patients and employees, and the difficulties they have experienced getting to medical appointments or work. Also presented was the safety issue of walking through the underpass from Mechanic Street to Mascoma Street, a cut-through used by some patients and employees because it is the nearest point that scheduled bus service gets to the hospital. Our local bus company, Advance Transit, was recognized for its overall excellence, and recognition was given to the funding limitations and challenges they must continually live with. Credit was also given to the excellent rides-on-demand services, providing rides to the hospital for qualifying seniors and people with disabilities, offered by the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council and Advance Transit's Paratransit service. Funding is a major issue. UVIP urged our local and state representatives, as well as Alice Peck Day administration, to work with UVIP to find more, and more stable transit funding, especially from the State of New Hampshire. The 14 public officials all agreed to work with UVIP to determine how best to improve transportation access to Alice Peck Day, and how best to secure the funding needed. That work has begun, and is ongoing. | |
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