Speakers at the Los Alamos County Health Council described transportation as a critical impediment to accessing health care, substance-use treatment and pharmacy services across the region and outlined a proposal for a free, frequent circulator and feeder network.

Tyler Taylor of the Interfaith Coalition on Homelessness said the coalition is advocating for a free, reliable transport system that would run seven days a week on a two-hour loop serving medical facilities, pharmacies and counseling offices across the Valley. Taylor said the coalition has discussed the idea with the regional transit district (RTD) and funders and described the circulator as a means to improve access to MAT, therapy, pharmacy pickups and other routine health services.

Meeting participants discussed several possible approaches: a circulator operated by regional transit (RTD) if it signs on; county-run pilot vans using existing county drivers and insurance; or contracted services paid through grants. One county social-services staff member said the county has some funding and drivers that could be repurposed for a pilot, while others urged that case managers or community health workers ride on buses to provide onsite assistance and help complete benefit or Medicaid paperwork during trips.

Speakers and council members emphasized that co-location of services and predictable transport together reduce barriers to follow-up care. Presenters noted that mobile and telehealth programs (for example, MAT on demand in the shelter) reduce transportation needs but cannot replace routine access to pharmacies, specialty clinics or physical therapy located outside the Valley. No formal county decision was recorded; presenters requested staff follow-up to explore pilot options with RTD and local funders.

Speakers

- Tyler Taylor, coordinator, Interfaith Coalition on Homelessness (nonprofit/interfaith coalition)
- Unnamed county social services staff (identified in meeting as “Corey”/county community services) — discussed internal county funding and drivers (attributed generically when not explicitly on record)

Clarifying details

- Proposed model: free circulator running every two hours, seven days a week, stopping at medical facilities, pharmacies and counseling locations; feeder connections from local routes.
- Funding/operations options discussed: RTD contract, county-run pilot leveraging existing drivers and insurance, or grant-funded contracted vans.

Community relevance

- Geographies: Los Alamos County, Española (Rio Arriba County), Santa Fe, Albuquerque.
- Impact groups: patients needing specialty care, MAT patients, low-income residents reliant on public transit.

Meeting context

- Engagement level: moderate — transportation was raised repeatedly as a cross-cutting barrier across homelessness, family services and health access.
- Implementation risk: medium — requires interagency agreements (RTD, county, funders) and steady funding.

Provenance

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