Assessing Healthcare Transportation Access in a Rural Vermont Community

Rural regions often face limited transportation infrastructure, few mobility options, and population characteristics that can reduce access to healthcare. In Orange County, Vermont, many residents, including older adults and individuals with health or financial challenges, struggle to reach medical appointments due to a lack of transit services and the absence of sidewalks or bike lanes. These conditions create obstacles to receiving timely care and increase safety risks for people who must travel in environments that do not support their needs. This project uses a community based participatory research approach to engage residents, healthcare providers, and transportation partners in identifying local travel challenges. The study will combine interviews, focus groups, community forums, surveys, and regional data to document transportation barriers and locate gaps in the current network. The findings will support recommendations that reflect community priorities and will guide efforts to improve safe travel to healthcare facilities for rural Vermonters.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.umass.edu/neutc/projects/assessing-healthcare-transportation-access-rural-vermont-community

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $67,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348301

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Massachusetts, Amherst

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  130 Natural Resources Road
  Amherst, MA  United States  01003
• Performing Organizations:

  Norwich University

  Northfield, VT  United States  05663
• Principal Investigators:

  Tefe, Moses

• Start Date: 20260101
• Expected Completion Date: 20261231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Access; Health care; Rural areas; Transportation disadvantaged persons
• Geographic Terms: Vermont
• Subject Areas: Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Society; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01973938
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: New England University Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348301
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Dec 11 2025 1:06PM