State & Local Focus Groups
The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) support team hosted virtual and in-person focus groups to gain state and local input. The 179 individuals from 22 states who were engaged represented a diverse array of funding programs administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and U.S. Department of Education. A 2018 Focus Group Report Executive Summary details cumulative findings from focus group sessions as well as stakeholder-specific findings. Also view the focus group summary presentation.
Virtual Focus Group Sessions (March 2018)
The CCAM support team facilitated three virtual focus groups which brought together stakeholders that receive funding from selected CCAM partner agencies. The topics covered during the virtual sessions included Rural and Underserved Areas (HHS grantees from two operating divisions: the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); Rural Veterans (VA stakeholders); and Medicaid nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) (HHS/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) funding recipients).
- Rural and Underserved Areas (February 27, 2018)
- Rural Veterans (March 1, 2018)
- Medicaid NEMT (March, 2018)
- Part A: NEMT Providers Presentation (March 6, 2018)
- Part B: NEMT Brokers Presentation (March 8, 2018)
In-Person Focus Group Sessions (Spring 2018)
The CCAM support team conducted in-person focus groups in diverse areas that have experienced success in coordinating transportation. In each community, multiple site visits were held and feedback collected from state and local stakeholders of CCAM agency programs. In total, 32 focus groups and key informant interviews were facilitated across the five site locations.
See the focus group presentation for these sessions:
- Los Angeles, CA (March 26-27, 2018)
- Olympia and Seattle, WA (March 29-30, 2018)
- Tallahassee, FL (April 4-5, 2018)
- Columbus, OH (April 11-12, 2018)
- Des Moines, IA (April 18-19, 2018)
Stakeholder Engagement Sessions
2018 HHS-HUD-USDA Central Office Meeting: Health, Housing and Community Living for People with Disabilities and Older Adults Living in Rural America (October 11, 2018)
FTA was invited to participate in the 2018 HHS-HUD-USDA Central Office Meeting, where transportation was a topic throughout the day-long meeting. Presenters from HHS, HUD and USDA provided context about their programs to colleagues from other federal agencies. For example, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) shared news about 87 rural hospital closures since January 2010 and the impact of transportation barriers on access to care.
Opioids Misuse: Increasing Access to Transportation in Rural Communities (September 20, 2018)
FTA, in collaboration with USDA Rural Development, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) - a technical assistance center funded by FTA - conducted a workshop at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with stakeholders from across West Virginia to discuss increasing transportation in rural areas to improve access to treatment and services. View the livestream | Download the handouts.
Public Transit Listening Sessions (Spring 2018)
In collaboration with the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), a technical assistance center funded by FTA, FTA conducted three listening sessions with transit industry stakeholders to discuss transportation coordination challenges and promising practices at these locations:
- American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference, Tampa, FL, May 9, 2018
- National Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) Review Board Meeting, Washington, DC, May 10, 2018
- Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) Expo, Pittsburgh, PA, June 13, 2018
State Departments of Transportation CCAM Input Session (February 1, 2017)
The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) hosted this virtual meeting to provide an update on the CCAM's strategic planning process. The NCMM also gathered input from state stakeholders.
Transit Industry CCAM Input Session (January 25, 2017)
The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), an FTA-funded technical assistance center, hosted this virtual meeting to provide an update on the CCAM's strategic planning process. The NCMM also gathered input from transit stakeholders.
Interagency Work Groups
CCAM Work Groups, Phase 1 (March–June 2017)
The CCAM support team facilitated three interagency work groups to address cost allocation, vehicle sharing policy, and interagency collaboration and to develop draft recommendations for agency leadership, CCAM, and, ultimately, for Congress. During phase 1, 34 representatives participated in the work groups from U.S. DOT, HHS, DOL, USDA, VA, DOJ, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Social Security Administration (SSA), U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the National Council on Disability (NCD).
CCAM Joint Work Groups Meeting (July 18, 2017)
The CCAM support team hosted an in-person, joint work group meeting to finalize the draft work group recommendations.
CCAM Community Perspectives Session (June 7, 2017)
The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) hosted this virtual meeting for CCAM work group members to hear from three communities about regulatory challenges, funding and finances, and administrative barriers they face related to coordination and vehicle sharing at the state and local level.
Nonemergency Medical Transportation Virtual Listening Session (November 17, 2016)
The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), an FTA-funded technical assistance center, hosted this virtual listening session to bring together representatives from State Medicaid Offices, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to discuss nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) challenges and best practices. Before the listening session began, one of the 19 Rides to Wellness Demonstration Grants - part of the Transit & Health Access CCAM initiative – presented on project outcomes to date. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) presented on their Bridge to Integration Project, a technology that will bridge the gap between Medicaid-funded transportation brokers and NHDOT’s coordination software vendor system, an innovation being tested at three pilot sites with the goal of increasing access to transportation for health care appointments for Medicaid recipients, older adults and people with disabilities.
Strategic Planning Meetings
The CCAM support team hosted two interagency strategic planning meetings to discuss the CCAM goals and objectives. The CCAM support team convened 52 representatives from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Education (ED) to participate in the strategic planning meetings.
CCAM Strategic Planning Year End Meeting (December 12, 2016)
At this meeting, CCAM agency members drafted the CCAM mission, vision and final framework for joint action to address FAST Act requirements. These elements form the basis for the Strategic Plan required by the FAST Act.
CCAM Strategic Planning Meeting (July 21, 2016)
At this meeting, CCAM agency members began developing a framework for the Council’s Strategic Plan to strengthen interagency collaboration at the federal level to make it easier for state and local partners to provide coordinated transportation.