St. Luke's Hospital Collaborates with Ride TFT for Service Expansion
Since 2023, the city of Twin Falls has been offering a public transportation service through Ride TFT. Recently, St. Luke's Magic Valley has joined forces with Ride TFT in a pilot program, providing rides to discharged inpatients. This partnership is set to expand, with St. Luke's considering extending the service to patients at the emergency department and cancer center.
The collaboration has been well-received by Kyli Gough, community health and engagement director for St. Luke's Magic Valley and Jerome. She considers the partnership tremendously important, particularly for patients who may struggle with transportation.
During the pilot program, a van is parked outside the hospital's discharge center from 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, ready to assist patients in Twin Falls without transportation. In some cases, inpatients cannot leave their room until their ride is outside the hospital, underscoring the importance of this service.
The city is currently filling in for a new transit coordinator, following the resignation of Maxine Durand, who served as the city's transit coordinator for the past two years. Durand, who stepped down in late June, announced on July 4 that she is running for governor in 2026 as an unaffiliated candidate.
In the future, St. Luke's Magic Valley could formalize and scale transportation services with Ride TFT, catering specifically to the needs of patients. This could include establishing dedicated Ride TFT services, integrating Ride TFT scheduling into hospital systems, offering subsidized fares for patients with financial barriers, and training Ride TFT drivers on patient privacy and safety protocols.
The city is also pursuing Federal Transit Administration funding for Ride TFT, which requires a 35% local match. The city plans to swap out the original fleet of seven Ride TFT vans with new Toyota Siennas. However, there are no direct search results that specifically address how St. Luke's Magic Valley can expand its partnership with Ride TFT to provide transportation for emergency department or cancer center patients.
Such expansions would require close coordination between St. Luke’s clinical, administrative, and Ride TFT operational teams, potentially including formal agreements outlining roles, funding, and performance metrics. Additionally, securing funding through grants or community health initiatives might support service expansion.
As the pilot program is scheduled to end in September, it remains to be seen how the partnership between St. Luke's Magic Valley and Ride TFT will evolve. However, partnerships like this could help the city expand the public transit service, benefiting both the community and the patients of St. Luke's Magic Valley. The standard fee for a ride with Ride TFT is $3.
- The collaboration between St. Luke's Magic Valley and Ride TFT in Twin Falls extends to the health-and-wellness industry, particularly providing transport for discharged patients.
- As the pilot program concludes in September, there is potential for Ride TFT and St. Luke's Magic Valley to expand their partnership in fitness-and-exercise, catering specifically to patients' transportation needs.
- The city of Twin Falls, in an effort to improve public-transit, is seeking Federal Transit Administration funding for Ride TFT, with a goal of swapping out the current fleet of Ride TFT vans with new Toyota Siennas.
- In the wake of Maxine Durand's resignation as the city's transit coordinator, discussions about formalizing and scaling transportation services between St. Luke's Magic Valley and Ride TFT are underway, including potential grants for funding and formal agreements for performance metrics among the involved parties.
