Meet Our Transportation Services Supervisor

One of the most common ways to travel is by car. After all, we live in an age of transportation. Roads thrive through every city and town and are asked to be driven on. Vehicles are seen as a daily occurrence because of how easy it is to just get in and go. However, consider this. What if you were wheelchair-bound? Most vehicles are simply not accessible and that is why we will be learning about how The Whole Person resolves this underlying issue for many of our consumers.

Recently, I had the pleasure to interview our Transportation Services Supervisor – Kim Blobaum. She has been working at The Whole Person for a couple of years and was willing to share to us what goes on behind the scenes of the Transportation Services.

Blobaum’s room was quite inviting and I soon found myself in a comfortable seat and ready to interview. Her desk had multiple monitors and there were various forms of equipment shelved around the room.

Naturally, my first question was to have Blobaum explain about herself and about Transportation Services.

“I do the dispatching for the Transportation Department, which is coordinating rides and ensuring the drivers know their routes for the day.”

During her explanation, I noticed how much multi-tasking Kim had to do. From the corner of my eye, I could see tiny car icons rolling across a map. It was clear that Blobaum uses a program to keep track of all the vehicles simultaneously. This got me wondering how she would communicate with a driver if she saw something was amiss.

“I communicate with walkie-talkie, which is what we use as the fastest method to talk. We also use our phones if there is something that needs to be a little more private.”

The cell phone method is considered more private in this situation because the driver’s conversation is not being heard across the whole group. If there’s any special emergencies, a driver can easily disclose their issues to Kim Blobaum using these methods.

I next asked her about the vehicle types that we offer.

“We have a Van, which is a lift-vehicle that has a hydraulic lift system that comes out the back and lowers for wheelchairs, including heavy-duty wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs. Basically, any kind of wheelchair will fit in our van. Additionally, we have a caravan that can fit wheelchairs as well, though through the use of a ramp instead of a hydraulic system. So this can be useful for people with lighter wheelchair types.”

Blobaum also noted that there was a vehicle that does not have the wheelchair accessibility for those that are not wheelchair-bound.

“We have a car, or a cab, if you prefer. This option is for people that are mobile. This can include people with a walker, with crutches, what have you. 

So to summarize, The Whole Person offers 3 types of vehicles which include a van with a special hydraulics system for all wheelchair types, a caravan that has a ramp for smaller wheelchairs, and a car that has no wheelchair accessibility, but is still quite comfortable for users that do not rely on a wheelchair.

Of course, this conversation brought along concerns about the safety of our consumers’. Thankfully, Kim understands the issues that consumers may face and explains to me why TWP’s drivers are so well trusted in the KC Metro.

“When I hire a driver, we go through rigorous training and background checks. The driver has to have a clean driving record and a clean drug record.”

A background check is quite an efficient way to ensure that our drivers are prepared to drive consumers to their destination. Though Blobaum did not stop there and mentioned further on what else the drivers need to do before they are part of Transportation Services.

“They also go through first-aid classes, CPR classes, and even emergency safety classes since you never know what could happen on the road. In other words, they are fully trained.”

Though with transportation, the driver is just part of the whole process. Kim reassured me that the vehicles are also regularly inspected to make sure they are in top condition. With all these precautions, The Whole Person can make sure that everyone can feel safe and comfortable.

So far, the Transportation Service sounds fantastic. However, this made me wonder how a person would sign up for this server, as well as how the payment would be done.

“We do private pay, which means any one can call in their location and drop off. Once we determine the location and time, I can quote the consumer a price.” 

For payment plans, I was told that Medicaid will also work if a consumer is on that plan.

She then started talking about a story that tugged on my heartstrings and how the Transportation Service managed to help a particular consumer. For privacy reasons, I cannot disclose the name of the affected individual.

“We had a young lady, that was graduating, in a motorized wheelchair. She had been left at field trips in her class, multiple times. She contacted us because she heard about our reliability. We provided transportation to her graduation rehearsal, graduation, and to and from the zoo for a school fieldtrip. She had missed a lot of fieldtrip outings due to a lack of transportation. We were very happy to do that for her”

Now this is quite a shocking story that had a very wholesome ending. Though this person did not go through a medical-based destination it seems. Why is that? Blobaum had a very simple answer.

“Sometimes, you just got to do what is right.” 

She then continued

“The things you take for granted, like basic transportation to and from appointments, has been overwhelming and has taught me a lot about this job. It has made me humble.”

Doing what is right seems like something that should be obvious, but sometimes it is easy to not realize the hardships that other people may face.

Sometimes, you just got to do what is right

I decided to ask Blobaum about why someone would choose The Whole Person over another transportation provider. She had a lengthy and passionate answer.

“We regularly reach out and also talk to the consumers. We actually gotten to know the consumers quite well and they actually call and ask for us. The consumers call and ask for us. As long as we have enough drivers, we make a great effort to come get them. Our customer service is reliable. Our drivers do not just provide ‘curb to curb’ service, but will actually take the consumers in to their appointment. A lot of our consumers are in wheelchairs, and some also have cognitive issues and sometimes the consumer does not always have someone from a nursing home, or an assistant with them. As such, we make sure the consumers get to the appointments safely. Our drivers are pretty amazing.

Quite clearly, the consumers use our service quite regularly. The Whole Person is very much trusted within the community. Blobaum assures that she does her best to accommodate the consumer as much as she can if someone wants to use our service.

“We have made ourselves available. We’re good to our customers and we are reliable. No one wants to get left after their appointment after all.”

Though the popularity may cause TWP to suffer from success. We are in need of drivers to assist in the higher number of consumers. I asked what someone could expect from the position if they were to apply at The Whole Person.

“We hire part-time and full-time drivers for Monday through Friday. Hours do vary and the employee can ask for a set schedule. We are looking for people that love people and that can hustle as there is a lot of people waiting to get picked up on a daily basis. We treat each other with respect.”

I mentioned to her that I noticed that her drivers regularly check in with her every day and making good conversation.

“It makes for a great work environment. If the driver has an issue, they know that I can be reached out to. We are a good bunch. It is a nice laid-back atmosphere, and you get to chat with the consumers.”

Almost right on cue, a driver messages through the walkie-talkie about an issue. Kim quickly assisted the driver with the issue. I got to see Blobaum check her computer for the route and heard her send relevant information to the driver to resolve the issue. The driver was able to continue on with no further problems. After she was done, I decided to ask one final question. What are Kim’s thoughts on The Whole Person as a, well, whole?

It is a nice laid-back atmosphere, and you get to chat with the consumers.

“I think The Whole Person does amazing things. I really like the atmosphere. I love the people I work with, the people I work for. It is a great company to work for. There are great benefits too. I think our CEO, Michael, does a good job at recognizing people’s strengths and weaknesses. If the employee is not happy with one situation, he can find another situation. He believes in people, even if that person does not believe in themself at first. I started out in a different department and he spotted that I would work better in this one. He is very much on the employee’s side. You do not find a lot of CEOs that care about their people”

A happy employee certainly makes the customer service much better. We all know the saying “Treat others the way you would like to be treated,” and The Whole Person definitely embodies that statement.

“It all goes in succession.”

This interview was quite insightful, and I felt that I got to understand the Transportation Services a lot more. The drivers are very trustworthy and kind. As such, it is very clear why consumers continue to call The Whole Person for their transportation services.

If you would like to apply for a driver position, check out the jobs that The Whole Person is offering.

If you are looking for more information about our Transportation Services, including scheduling a ride, please visit our Transportation page.