CTR Project Grant recipient profile
Medical center gets results with high tech ridematching

Commuter Challenge, in partnership with federal, state and local governments, has awarded a second round of grants to 25 King County employers totalling over $427,000 to implement or enhance commute trip reduction projects in an effort to reduce thousands of commute trips each month. Local employers eligible for the grants are those affected by the state Commute Trip Reduction Law and other work sites that voluntarily comply with the law.

Company mission:
Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) is a private, non-profit organization offering a system of integrated health services. The medical center includes a large, multi-specialty group practice of more than 390 physicians; a regional network of neighborhood clinics; an acute care hospital licensed for 336 beds; an internationally recognized research center; and Bailey-Boushay House, a nursing residence for people living with AIDS. Virginia Mason’s mission is to improve the health and well being of the patients it serves. Its vision is not to be the biggest but the best, by emphasizing quality.

Business issues:
Virginia Mason not only strives for quality in its health services, but in all the efforts that uphold its mission, including its commuting program. “I can’t imagine a leadership team that’s more supportive than this one,” says Christina Arner, employee transportation coordinator. “I have all the tools I need to make the program successful.”

Parking is an issue on and near the Virginia Mason campus. “As a business, we also have a responsibility to the patients we serve to provide adequate parking,” Arner says. “The community in the surrounding area benefits as well from fewer vehicles in their neighborhood and more street parking for other area patrons.”

One reason Virginia Mason’s administration team was open to the idea of an online ridematching project was the success they experienced with another technology-based project. Staff administered the on-line version of the Commute Trip Reduction survey last year. Leadership was delighted with the higher response rate. (See related article in this issue.)

Project description:
Arner and her assistant Janis Mathews came up with the idea of an internal ridematch program for employees to increase the potential of finding someone—possibly in their own department—to share the commute. The two set up a meeting with the Information Systems department manager who expressed support for the idea, promised adequate personnel resources and put it on the immediate projects list to meet the grant guidelines. A private contractor and Coldfusion web developer in the IS department wrote the software.

The application, written for the medical center’s intranet, not only helps Virginia Mason riders and drivers find matches, but also includes administrative functions for reporting, matching and editing. The design work began February 2 and the final application was approved February 24. A link to RideshareOnline.com, the regional ridematching system, is included, as well as a list of park and rides and maps of local areas. Users receive the mailstop and telephone extension number of potential ridematches. Movie tickets and a three-month free carpool pass are some of the incentives offered to employees who join or start carpooling as a result.

Arner says ongoing support from the administrative and communications departments was critical to a successful launch of the ridematch program. In addition, she stresses that this type of project requires the dedication of time, enthusiasm and the drive to see it through.

Benefits and results:
While not even halfway through the grant period, Arner reports that Virginia Mason staff already have created 15 of the 20 new carpools set as a project goal. A vanpool also is in the works. The new carpools have freed up valuable parking spaces and reduced commute trips.

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