Who’s in there?

Everyone must fantasize about who is inside those huge motor coaches we see on the highways. Is it Faith Hill, or maybe Michael Jordan, or is it just some lucky rich guy who hit it big in the market and spends his time roaming the country?

Or could it be someone with a medical illness being transported home?

We’ve probably passed someone of notoriety at one time or another.  Or, we could be passing someone who is in a desperate health situation who is being moved from one location to a more desirable location to get needed medical attention, or to be near family who can better take care of the person, or who is returning home from a distant place where he or she had an accident or got real sick.  Or maybe it’s a person who is being transferred “back home” to spend his or her last days among those who love them and want to be close.

Unless you need one, you probably don’t know about these medical transports.  They are a hidden gem in our nation of high emphasis on health care.

The coaches are furnished like miniature hospital rooms with hospital type beds with rails, private bathrooms, furnished kitchen and entertainment areas for the medical staff and the family escort who may be traveling along with the patient. These medical coaches  transport people with stable medical conditions including:
* Chronic Illnesses
* Stroke
* Cancer
* Chronic Lung or Heart Conditions
* Alzheimer’s
* Dementia
* injuries due to accidents.

A medical attendant or escort is on duty for the extent of the trip, which generally travels 24/7 with two experienced drivers taking turns to expedite the travel to the destination.  They can sometimes tow a private vehicle if the family needs to return it to the patient’s destination.

The family may provide an attendant of choice: nurse, paramedic or caregiver; or more likely, the transport experience will include a qualified attendant for the trip to operate any medical equipment required for the patient’s comfort which can be arrange for the trip, such as oxygen monitoring or suction.

Next time I see one on the road, I won’t pre-judge the occupant to be someone more fortunate than me.