Jan 5, 2021
Ride Health, coordinating smarter transportation for every patient need, is partnering with the ACTIV-2 Study, sponsored and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted by the NIH-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), to provide COVID-19-equipped transportation to and from study visits for participants.
The ACTIV-2 Study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of potential new therapeutics for early-stage COVID-19. ACTIV-2 was established as part of NIH’s Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), a public-private partnership program instituted to speed development of the most promising treatments and vaccines. ACTIV-2 is also receiving support through Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government’s multi-agency effort to develop, manufacture and distribute medical countermeasures to fight COVID-19.
Transportation to and from ACTIV-2 entry and treatment visits can be a challenge for symptomatic participants who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the six days prior to enrollment. Using public transportation after testing positive is against public health guidelines, and many ride-hailing services have established policies against passengers using the service if they have COVID-19 or have related symptoms.
“As we designed the ACTIV-2 protocol, it became clear that we would need to address transportation for study participants,” said ACTG Chair Judith Currier, M.D., M.Sc., University of California, Los Angeles. “We didn’t want transportation to be a barrier to participation given the sensitivity around travel for people who have COVID-19. We needed a partner who could facilitate a rapid, national rollout of a service that could transport ACTIV-2 participants, regardless of mobility limitations or technology capabilities.”
Since the middle of March when the need emerged, Ride Health has built the nation’s largest network of COVID-equipped transportation providers. The national network is able to safely transport COVID-19 patients using non-emergency transportation services and providing significant cost savings. All drivers follow Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) guidelines and state-mandated precautions, including the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfection of all high-contact surfaces between rides, and maintenance of partitions within the vehicle to separate the front and back seating areas.
Study coordinators can request rides on behalf of participants within the Ride Health platform, where a native COVID-19 screening captures each participant’s COVID-19 status. This screening is factored into the automated decision logic for trip assignments and ensures rides are fulfilled by individually vetted transportation providers equipped to meet driver and passenger safety standards. Once the platform schedules a trip, participants receive ride notifications via text message or automated phone call, ensuring consistent access regardless of their comfort with technology. Participants without a cell phone receive calls to their home landline, while all participants, caregivers, and site coordinators may call Ride Health’s 24-hour support line for automated trip updates, on-demand ride requests, and live ride support.
“COVID-19 therapies will be a bridge to vaccines, not to mention an important pre-hospitalization treatment for COVID-19 in the years to come,” said Amin Farhoomand, Health Services Market Lead at Ride Health. “We are honored to work with ACTIV-2 and their research partners in communities across the country to facilitate timely access to this critical study.”
About Ride Health
Ride Health partners with healthcare organizations and transportation network providers to manage transportation benefits, strengthen enterprise transportation programs, and drive intelligent transitions of care. We blend technology and data with a human approach to break down access barriers and solve some of the biggest transportation challenges that care coordinators, providers, and payers face. Our platform maps out each patient’s unique needs and preferences for the best ride experience across clinical and social needs, ensuring greater access, improved efficiencies, lower costs, and better outcomes. Learn more at www.ridehealth.com.
