In a move welcomed and encouraged by ADDP, today the Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced the pending Human Services Transportation (HST) Initiative to consolidate all statewide human service transportation through one single provider has been cancelled.
Donna Sabecky, (above) President and CEO of Community Connections, Inc.; and Kelly Johnson, (left) Chief Operating Officer of Bridgewell, Inc., the co-chairs of the ADDP Transportation Committee welcomed the cancellation calling the decision "in the best interest of continuing quality service to people with developmental and physical disabilities attending day and employment programs".
Sabecky and Johnson had met earlier this month with representatives of EOHHS and HST detailing how the use of a single transportation authority would cause problems for program based participants severing the connection between many regional transportation authorities, and agency subcontractors who possess extensive knowledge about the varied physical or behavioral challenges of program participants.
Additionally ADDP was concerned about the amount of time it was taking the Commonwealth under the now cancelled initiative to reach a viable contract with MART, the single regional transportation authority selected for the contract. Contract negotiations had been on-going for over a year and were not appearing to be near resolution. EOHHS officials indicated the time delay in reaching a suitable contract agreement was a critical factor in the cancellation decision. In meeting with EOHHS and HST officials, Sabecky and Johnson expressed concern that the delay and the overall initiative were ill advised for a variety of reasons including the potential delay causing the use of older vehicles beyond the five year regulation for such vehicles (last year HST granted a six year waiver); and potential diminished service to programs with regional transportation authorities and sub contractors uniquely familiar with the population served. In the ADDP/HST/EOHHS Meeting, ADDP requested cancelling the initiative, an increase in transportation reimbursement after nearly a six year freeze and the reinstatement of the current model using existing Regional Transportation Authorities and their subcontractors, including some disability program providers. In cancelling the HST Initiative, EOHHS plans to grant a six month 1.5% cost increase to transportation providers and then re-bid the entire system again in January 2015. ADDP will be urging the six month increase to be higher than the current proposed 1.5%. | 
