Our team met with Michelle Peters, the Community Benefit Ministry Officer and Director Community Health and Well-being for Saint Joseph Health System. During gallery day we discussed the research we had conducted, future plans to conduct additional research and begin prototyping, and Michelle offered very insightful feedback for different parts of the project. Her involvement with SJHS has proven a valuable resource as she is very knowledgable about past projects about the same issue. She also is a great resource in terms of understanding the dynamics of funding, an issue we consider to be one of the main obstacles in securing transportation for SJHS’s clients living in poverty. Below are listed a few takeaways from gallery day as well as future plans for our team which we discussed with Michelle.
Main Takeaways:
- In discussing our journey map which illustrates patients’ journey to their appointment, Michelle noted that the main obstacles are actually finding transportation and the timeliness of a patient who struggles to find transportation. Miss appointments can potentially result in economic losses for SJHS.
- Our Users, Needs, and Insights board provided excellent insights from social and non-profit workers who deal with transportation issues with their clients. Michelle noted we could certainly learn more from more encounters with actual patients.
- After we talked about our immersions which included a bus ride, an uber ride, and borrowing a friend’s car, Michelle noted that she believes if SJHS were to provide transportation it would likely be through a partnership. She still believes outlets such as Uber should continue to be explored though.
Further Research/Plans
- Michelle provided us with the contact information of SJHS case managers so we may gain a better understanding into the struggles faced by SJHS clients who are living in poverty.
- We plan to spend more time analyzing the intricacies of funding for publicly funded, private, and other means of transportation.
- We plan to observe the current state of SJHS and see if there are any unused resources that could potentially be utilized in a transportation service.
*Pictures of our team’s gallery day will be provided by other team members.