Mission: Interlink Volunteer Caregivers (IVC), Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit, located in Twin Falls Idaho since 1997. IVC’s mission is to provide volunteer transportation (FREE door through door) along with minor home safety modification (wheelchair ramps, handrails & grab bars) services to the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill individuals. We give our clients “Access to Healthcare” and other essential services while “Giving the Gift of Home” so they can live independently, and safely in the comfort of their home regardless of their lack of financial/transportation/family resources. IVC uses a “workforce” of (trained and insured) volunteers who drive their own vehicles to provide transportation to access essential medical care. Our volunteers also provide minor home safety modifications to allow individuals more independence in their own homes along with helping the elderly to maintain a higher quality of life and self-reliance.
Results: IVC’s mission is to provide volunteer transportation (FREE door through door) along with minor home safety modification (wheelchair ramps, handrails & grab bars) services to the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill individuals. IVC continues to provide a safety net to breakdown “Access to Healthcare” and other essential services barriers for those most at risk – elderly, disabled, and chronically ill. IVC has been providing transportation services to this vulnerable and isolated population since a $25,000 grant was awarded and served as IVC’s start-up funds in 1997. We give our clients “Access to Healthcare” and other essential services while “Giving the Gift of Home” so they can live independently, and safely in the comfort of their home regardless of their lack of financial/transportation/family resources. IVC is operated in Twin Falls, Idaho with a volunteer “workforce” from communities in our Magic Valley service area covering Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. IVC provides a “criminal background checked, trained and insured” volunteer “workforce” using their own vehicles to transport those clients who need support to access healthcare like physician appointments, life-extending dialysis, life-saving cancer treatments, variety of other healthcare services including COVID testing & shots and essential errands. Our volunteers also provide minor home safety modifications to allow individuals more independence in their own homes along with helping the elderly to maintain a higher quality of life and self-reliance. Access barriers are issues preventing people from receiving timely medical care, including lack of transportation. The health indicator data and community representative scores have ranked this access barrier as one of our community’s most significant health needs. A recent study showed that nearly 19 percent of U.S. adults do not receive medical care or delay medical care because they are concerned about the cost or worried that their health insurance would not pay for treatment. Enabling seniors to stay in their own homes has a powerful side effect – Seniors can stay out of nursing facilities and hospitals, which saves taxpayers billions in preventable healthcare and medical expenses. Older adults living at or below poverty are nearly twice as likely to be unable to live independently, forced to either leave home for costly long-term care facilities or rely on caregivers. Our community will be stronger and healthier because of IVC’s commitment to serve this underserved demographic. IVC’s “Access to Healthcare” and essential services programs will continue to breakdown the overwhelming barrier to receiving timely medical care. IVC will help meet the daily life challenges of our clients in the coming year and continue to be the life-line for years to come.
Target demographics: elderly, non wheelchair disabled, and chronically ill individuals (primarily age 60 and over)
Direct beneficiaries per year: more than 3,132 client trips, with approximately 94,454 reimbursable volunteer miles with over 7,139 volunteer hours.
Geographic areas served: the community within the eight Magic Valley counties of southern Idaho.
Programs: “Access to Healthcare” and other essential services while “Giving the Gift of Home”, so they can live independently, and safely in the comfort of their home regardless of their lack of financial/transportation/family resources. IVC’s programs consists of two parts – transportation and home safety modifications. Part 1 – The “Access to Healthcare” transportation program provides low-income, elderly, disabled and chronically ill citizens of the eight-county service area rides to cancer treatments, dialysis, medical specialists, specialized testing as well as routine medical care. These trips connect clients to their medical providers in Twin Falls, Boise or even Salt Lake City, when necessary. Along with medical transportation comes essential errands to the pharmacy and grocery store, without which many of those served could not maintain their independent living status. Part 2 – IVC’s home safety modification program helps low-income, elderly, disabled and chronically ill citizens by installing wheelchair ramp & grab bar modifications for seniors. IVC’s partnering agency, Office on Aging (OOA), qualifies clients through a home assessment, prior to IVC providing the services.