goHunterdon is grateful to the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey for its continued investment in improving access to healthcare for Hunterdon County residents. The Foundation recently awarded the organization a $25,000 grant to support goHunterdon’s Healthcare Access Transportation Program, helping ensure that older adults can get to the medical care they need.
Reliable transportation remains one of the most significant barriers to healthcare access, both nationally and here in Hunterdon County. Research consistently shows that transportation challenges prevent millions of Americans from receiving timely medical care. A 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation brief found that approximately 5% of adults went without needed medical care in the previous year because of transportation issues, while the National Academy of Sciences estimates that 3.6 million Americans miss or delay non-emergency medical appointments annually for the same reason.
Locally, transportation barriers have been identified as a priority in the 2025 Hunterdon County Community Health Needs Assessment, the 2026 Community Health Improvement Plan, and the 2025 Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan. For older adults, missed appointments can lead to worsening health conditions, unmanaged chronic illnesses, and greater reliance on emergency departments and hospitalizations.
Established in 2020, goHunterdon’s Healthcare Access Transportation Program helps address these challenges by coordinating Uber and Lyft rides for transportation-dependent older adults traveling to non-emergency medical appointments. The program serves individuals who lack reliable transportation or are unable to use existing services because of scheduling limitations, travel time, or medical needs. By removing transportation barriers, the program helps participants receive preventive care, follow-up appointments, and ongoing treatment—leading to better health outcomes, greater independence, and an improved quality of life.
The program reached an important milestone recently, providing more than 5,000 rides to residents seeking essential healthcare services.
The continued support of the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey helps ensure that transportation is not a barrier to receiving timely medical care and demonstrates the power of community partnerships to improve the health and well-being of Hunterdon County residents. To learn more about goHunterdon’s Healthcare Access Transportation Program and other mobility initiatives, visit https://gohunterdon.org/mobility/healthcare-access-transportation-program.
