Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana recently awarded LIFTT a $50,000 Blue Impact Grant in support of the RideWell Transportation Program. RideWell will provide accessible transportation to people with disabilities in rural areas for distant medical appointments.
Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) is proud to announce that it has been awarded a $50,000 Blue Impact Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBMT) to support the RideWell ADA-Accessible Rural Transportation Program.
The award recognizes RideWell’s commitment to improving access to health care, community participation and independent living opportunities for aging adults and individuals with disabilities throughout South Central and Eastern Montana.
For many Montanans living in rural areas, transportation is the essential link to health care appointments, pharmacies, employment, education, grocery stores, community activities and social connections. Without reliable transportation, individuals can become isolated from services that support their health, independence and quality of life.
RideWell was created to address these challenges by providing safe, reliable, ADA-accessible transportation for aging adults, people with disabilities and others who face transportation barriers. The program is designed to strengthen access to health care and promote greater independence across the vast rural regions served by LIFTT.
“Transportation is often the first step toward accessing health care, employment and community life,” said Carlos Ramalho, LIFTT’s executive director. “This grant will help us move closer to ensuring that no one is left behind simply because they live in a rural area or have a disability.”
BCBSMT’s Blue Impact grant initiative is part of an ongoing commitment to invest in and collaborate with community organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs that address the social and economic factors impacting health and wellness in our state. LIFTT’s commitment to providing safe, reliable, accessible transportation for people who face transportation barriers directly aligns with the vision of Blue Impact to improve health outcomes in communities across Montana.
“We believe that access to health care should never depend on where you live or the challenges you face,” said Lisa Kelley, president of BCBSMT. “The RideWell program embodies the spirit of community and innovation that Blue Impact was created to support. By helping remove transportation barriers for aging adults and individuals with disabilities, we are investing in healthier, more connected communities throughout South Central and Eastern Montana.”
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSMT is the largest and longest-standing statewide, customer-owned health insurer and full-service health benefits administrator in Montana. BCBSMT has provided high-quality health insurance plans and administrative services to Montanans for more than 85 years and is committed to ensuring its members — no matter where they are on the health spectrum — achieve maximum health.
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilites and aging indivduals with programs, services, resources and advocacy that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and south-central Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Rosebud, Stillwater, Treasure, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org
Our Vision: Empowering aging individuals and people with disabilities to LIFTT themselves above the barriers of life.
Our Mission: Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow’s (LIFTT’s) mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Center for Independent Living serving Southeastern Montana is to empower aging individuals and people with disabilities to live independently through education, support, and opportunities.
