Wheels for Wellness helps patients

By Teresa Bird Gazette staff Aug 04 2005
	Photo: Gerald Elliott, Ginger Simons and Don Buchner stand in front of one of the Wheels for Wellness vans that took part in the recent Filomi Days parade.

PORT HARDY - Travelling from the North Island to medical appointments elsewhere is a little easier thanks to Wheels for Wellness.
The non-profit group expanded its service from the Comox Valley to the North Island and other Vancouver Island communities in June, says executive director Don Buchner.
Buchner started the service in memory of his wife.
"I saw the need when my wife was sick and I had to take her to UBC," says Buchner. For seven years, Buchner carried the cost of providing the service to the Comox Valley.
"I did it on my own buck until earlier this year," says Buchner who is retired. "In 2004 I took 581 passengers on 194 trips. It cost $42,000 out of my personal pocket."
It has cost him financially, but the ex-military man and business owner says it's the best thing he's ever done.
"At the end of the day you can put your feet up and know you've touched someone," says Buchner.
The expansion to other Vancouver Island communities came from a request by Health Connections. Buchner was awarded the tender that now partially funds the service.
The remainder of the funding for the service comes from donations and fundraising.
Buchner says everyone but the office manager/dispatcher are volunteers.
"They are professional drivers," says Buchner adding all drivers have to pass a criminal record check and a 10-year drivers' abstract. Drivers do not have medical training.
The North Island driver is Gerald Elliot, with backup from Bert Walker. They will pick up at the door in Port Hardy, Port McNeill or Woss. Pick-up at a designated spot can be arranged for residents of Malcolm Island, Cormorant Island, Port Alice, Zeballos and other outlying communities.
Wheels for Wellness provides government-inspected vehicles that are replaced every 100,000 km (about every six to eight months).
The vehicles are not equipped with wheelchair lifts, but wheelchair patients can be accommodated if they can transfer into the vehicle.
The service will take patients from North Island communities to any non-emergency medical appointment that is more than 75 kilometers from their home. That includes specialists, clinics and hospital appointments, says Buchner.
Buchner, who participated in the Filomi Days parade in Port Hardy, says some North Islanders fear Wheels for Wellness is running in competition with the Masons and others who provide transportation to primarily cancer patients.
"We want to work with other organizations," clarifies Buchner. "If a cancer patient can go with the Masons, that frees us up to take someone else."
A ride can be arranged in as little as 24 hours, but two weeks' notice is preferred.