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Category: Progress Valley Medical Center, |
- CEO: Rich Roodman, CEO
- PM: Terry Pile, Public Relations Director
- PM: Jeff Dosch, Security Manager
- ETC: Melissa Blackburn, Executive Secretary
- ETC: Brenda Latsch, Public Relations Assistant
Medical center gets results
from commitment to CTR
Valley Medical Center offers one of the most
comprehensive health care systems in South King County.
It is comprised of the medical center, seven primary care
clinics, two occupational health clinics, and a
behavioral health clinic. Valley Medical has about 1,800
employees, but due to the many shifts, only 200 are
affected by the Commute Trip Reduction Law.
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Representing Valley Medical Center: (From left to right) Brenda Latsch, Michael Kelly, Jeffrey Dosch. |
Valley Medical is not well served by transit. It also is very difficult to form vanpools due to the many shifts. When Valley Medical failed to meet its commute trip reduction goal in 1997, management turned to King County Metro and asked for help. Because of the poor transit service and the difficulty of forming vanpools, it was decided the best commute alternative to target would be carpools.
Valley Medical made a difficult decision. In a time when hospitals are experiencing cutbacks and making budgets as lean as possible, it committed a substantial amount of money to establish a Commuter Bonus Plus voucher program. Twenty dollars in vouchers are given every month to employees who commute to work via carpools, bicycle, or by walking. The vouchers are redeemable at REI, Union 76 gas stations, Firestone Tire & Service Centers, the YMCA, Brown Bear Car Wash, and AAA. In addition, employees who are able to ride the bus to work receive $20 a month towards the cost of their bus pass.
Personalized promotions pay
off
An internal ridematching service was established,
and the huge task of matching employees for carpools was
begun. Employee addresses were entered into a grid-map
program that printed out lists of employees who lived
near one another or on an employee's route to work. The
lists were distributed and carpools formed. Now, as new
employees come on board, or if employees decide they want
to try carpooling, their addresses are entered into the
system and possible matches are indicated. The ridematch
system is promoted in Valley Medical's employee
newsletter, published twice a month, and is part of the
new employee orientation packet.
As further incentive, Valley Medical, which has limited free parking, decided to give carpools reserved parking. The medical center also provides a guaranteed ride home in case of illness or emergency to all employees who use alternative commute modes. In addition, fleet vehicles are available to staff for work related trips.
The effort has paid off. Valley Medical has reduced its single occupant vehicle (SOV) rate from 85% to 74%. Besides helping to meet CTR goals, the reduced SOV rate means there are more parking spaces available for patients.
The commitment of the management here at Valley Medical has been very strong,” says Brenda Latsch, employee transportation coordinator. “When our employees asked for assistance with their commutes, Valley Medical provided the tools to make it happen.”
Commuting
program
Results SOV rate reduced by 11%; of 200 affected employees, 99 carpool, and 6 ride the bus. |
*Some definitions: An “ETC” is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program; “PM” is the transportation program manager; and “CEO” refers to the top management-level person at the worksite. “SOV” stands for single-occupant vehicle, and “CTR” for commute trip reduction.