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Bathrick selected to serve on research board committee on
Transportation to Dialysis Centers

Public Transportation Manager Mark Bathrick was nominated Thursday (Feb. 18) to serve as a panel member on the Transportation to Dialysis Centers: Health/Transportation Policy Intersection committee of the Transportation Research Board.

The research project will include three panel meetings in Washington, D.C. The first meeting is slated for this spring, the second for this fall, and the third will be in 2017.

"I am extremely excited and honored by my selection to this prestigious and important project," said Bathrick. "It is an excellent opportunity to represent the perspective and needs of a growing rural state with an increasing population looking to age in place. As we continue to look for innovative ways to lower costs across government, solutions such as reliable transportation for preventative healthcare will be among the fruitful options to explore."

"It fits perfectly within our strategic mission of providing mobility for all of Idaho, and will bring Idaho and ITD into the national conversation on innovative ways to plan, coordinate and provide specialized public transportation to those receiving dialysis and other preventative care appointments," he added.

In addition to attending these meetings, panel members review and comment on contractor proposals, quarterly reports, an interim report, and a draft final report over a two- to three-year period.

More than 20 million Americans had Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in 2010, which cost citizens more than $23.6 billion in 2010. CKD can lead to kidney failure and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). The only treatment for ESRD is dialysis or transplant. Patients receiving dialysis need to receive treatment usually on a weekly or more frequent basis. As healthcare costs increase, more and more dialysis centers are being relocated to urban areas, increasing the cost for rural patient transportation and greatly hindering their access to critical care.

The research will look to project the current and expected transportation demands of clinic-based dialysis patients through the development of a model that can be applied to other chronic health conditions requiring monitoring and treatment. It also will document transportation needs for select preventative health-care visits.