Study concludes people more likely to skip medical appointments

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Community Transportation Network (CTN) recently conducted a regional transportation assessment in northeast Indiana and released results to the public Thursday.

With 11 counties considered and over a year’s worth of data sifted through, officials aimed to recognize the strengths of transportation while also identifying areas for improvement.

CTN alongside RLS & Associates held 17 public meetings, 15 focus groups, 12 provider interviews and collected over 4200 surveys.

Justin Clupper, executive director of CTN, pointed out one statistic in particular he says is very alarming.

“Twenty-three percent of our respondents said they will skip, or they won’t even schedule a doctor’s appointment because they don’t have transportation … that’s frightening for folks because if you’re not getting your regular checkups, if you’re missing those early indicators for health concerns, you’re missing an opportunity to manage that concern quickly and maybe get healing much faster.”