People seeking rides to dialysis treatment — or, for some residents, a way to and from work — may be able to tap a resource they didn’t know existed.

The Multi-County Community Service Agency wants people to know that transportation is available throughout Meridian and Lauderdale County — specifically for clients of MIDD Meridian, on 1405 College Drive, and for people receiving dialysis treatment at Fresenius Kidney Care.

Fresenius Kidney Care has facilities at 2205 Highway 39 North and also at 1300 38th Ave. East, just off of Highway 19 South.

The Multi-Transit System has been in existence for several years. Multi-Trans, as it is sometimes called, runs from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and it costs passengers $50 a month if they qualify for Community Services Block Grant funding — something that staff members at Multi-County will help them to determine. If passengers do not qualify for CSBG funding, their rates will vary depending on distance.

“We could take more participation,” said Delphine Gaines, housing coordinator and transportation director for Multi-County Community Service Agency.

Ron Collier, executive director of Multi-County Community Service Agency, said about 10 people participate in the transportation service right now, in a program that could accommodate up to 30 or so clients. Gaines noted that the program provides crucial support for people who otherwise might struggle to find rides — and, she said, many people don’t know about it.

“Sometimes you cannot find friends and family to bring you to dialysis,” Gaines said.

Collier explained the scope of the service, which includes two separate sets of clients: people receiving dialysis and people who are clients of MIDD Meridian.

“What we’re designed to do thus far is to pick up clients, transport them to dialysis, and get them back to their homes,” he said, describing one of the groups. “At MIDD, we have clients who, as part of their program, may work, so we will pick them up most of the time from MIDD and take them to work, or we pick them up from their homes and take them to work, and then (later) return them to their homes.”

Anthony Warbington, one of the program’s drivers, said that he’s been transporting people through the Multi-Transit System for about four years and that he’s struck up some strong connections with the clients. He noted the importance of encouragement. For the dialysis patients, for instance, he reminds them of the need for consistency in going to the treatments.

“I tell them, ‘This is your life,’” Warbington said.

The need for transportation can present an obstacle to people who need dialysis, said Brittany Baker, licensed master social worker at Fresenius Kidney Care.

“Some of our patients just do not have transportation,” Baker said.

Baker, who at times refers patients to Multi-County Community Service Agency, lauded the transportation service and stressed its importance to patients.

“Dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment,” she said. “They have to come to dialysis.”

Warbington also stressed the importance of helping clients from MIDD Meridian travel to and from work, and he noted bringing clients of MIDD to schools, restaurants and other places of employment.

So far, Multi-County’s transportation program is limited to Lauderdale County, but Collier said he hopes to expand it both geographically and financially.

“Our goal in the future is to become eligible to charge Medicaid and Medicare, and then we would be able to transport people based on their benefits,” he said.

He noted an objective, too, to expand the program beyond Lauderdale County.

“Our goal is to grow the transportation program, and at some point be able to incorporate more buses or vans,” he said. “We want to be able to use Multi-Trans capability to serve all of our counties in the nine-county area we are a part of.”

Collier suggested, too, that expanding the service would correspond to a larger plan of broadening the way the Multi-County Community Service Agency serves the community.

“My goal is to grow Multi-County’s ability to serve more people, to at some point have this transportation system in place so when we find people employment, we are able to get them to the jobs and then home from the job sites,” he said. “Our purview has to become broader, especially with our transportation system, in order to connect the dots for people who are trying diligently to work their way into self-sufficiency and who are lacking transportation. We want to be a holistic program.”

People interested in using the Multi-Transit Service can reach out to Gaines — and, she said, they should be prepared to bring materials such as a photo identification, a social security card and household income verification.

“We’ll take it from there,” Gaines said.

People can call Gaines at her office at 601-485-1214 or on her cell phone at 601-934-1911. They can also email her at dgaines@multicountycsa.org.

People can also call the Multi-County Community Service Agency at 601-483-4838 and leave a message if no one is available.

To contact Fresenius Kidney Care, people may call 601-482-4808; to reach MIDD Meridian, they may call 601-693-5219.