Central Highlands Rural Health provides volunteer transport for medical and related appointments for older people or younger people with disabilities and their carers Monday to Friday.
Volunteer transport requests can be made through reception of the four community health centres.
A minimum of two working days notice is required and a donation is requested based on the distance being traveled.
This is a door to door service for hospital, doctor’s, dental and other allied health appointments and includes appointments in Melbourne. Provision of the service is dependent on volunteer and vehicle resources and while every effort is made, it is not guaranteed that all requests can be accommodated.
Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS)
Seeing a medical specialist can require a lot of travel and you may also require accommodation. The Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) may provide financial help for costs involved. VPTAS provides financial subsidies to eligible patients living in rural and regional Victoria who need to travel long distances to access specialist services.
Eligibility
You may be eligible for subsidies if you meet all three of the following requirements:
- You live in rural Victoria
- Your treatment is included in the list of eligible medical specialist treatments
- You need to travel 100 kilometres or more one way or you need to travel (on average) 500 kilometres per week.
For further information and application forms visit the Department of Health & Human Services website