Mr. George Colangeli, General Manager Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency 415 N
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Salud Mr. George Colangeli, General Manager Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency 415 N. Main Street Blythe, CA. 92225 Facsimile number 760-922-0491 Dear Mr. Colangeli: The City of Blythe is pleased to support the Blythe Wellness Express 5310 grant application submitted by the Palo Verde Valley Transit Agency (PVVTA) for funding to support this specialized transportation project. With this funding PVVTA will able to provide safe transportation to and from the Coachella Valley area's hospitals and clinics. Blythe Wellness Express will fill a critical transportation gap for Blythe residents to access health care. The planned lifeline transportation service, operating two to three days weekly, will travel to the Coachella Valley’s three hospitals and selected medical clinics more than 100 miles to the west. Currently there is no public transportation between Blythe and the Coachella Valley, with very limited Greyhound service. With temperatures in excess of 110 degrees in our summer months it is the City's belief that having a well purposed means of transportation with a bus designed to make the more than 200 mile trips to and from the Coachella Valley is a much needed addition to PVVTA's Fleet. Blythe is an isolated rural community in the Palo Verde Valley of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, part of the Colorado Desert, and does not score well on numerous health indicators. Additionally, Blythe is a designated Mental Health and Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). We expect that better access to health care specialists, treatments and facilities in the Coachella Valley, via the Blythe Wellness Express, will do much to improve Blythe residents’ health. This project has considerable support within Blythe and elsewhere in Riverside County. Moreover, an extensive outreach effort as part of the 2016 Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan for Riverside County identified improving healthcare access as an immediate goal and strategy for the area. The Blythe Wellness Express will accomplish this goal by transporting residents in the Palo Verde Valley area to much need medical services. We are pleased to join health care organizations, community-based agencies, private doctors’ offices and clinics, and public transit providers in encouraging the Caltrans to view this 5310 grant application favorably and to help us initiate service that will improve health care, health access and the quality of life of residents of Blythe and neighboring communities. Sincerely, Dr. David Brooks, MD .