Knoxville woman wants answers about changes to city’s dialysis transportation

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville Area Transit has discontinued its rides for people going to and from dialysis centers through KAT Lift.

A Knoxville Area Transit spokesperson said the change is to eliminate duplicated services with Community Action Committee buses. The Americans with Disabilities Ac t allows for special transportation for people with disabilities and those who depend on dialysis receive rides if they want them. However, the changes mean they won’t be catching a ride on KAT Lift.

Linda receives dialysis treatments twice a week. Her kidneys don’t function. A machine removes blood from her body, filters it through a dialyzer, and returns the cleaned blood. This life-sustaining therapy allows people with kidney failure to maintain normal lives. She travels to a nonprofit dialysis center in South Knoxville on Mondays and Fridays. A KAT Lift van has picked her up for the last three years, but it will no longer provide the service.

“They are doing away with the dialysis transportation,” said Linda. “I don’t understand why.”

KAT sent a letter to her in late July. It reads in part, “This change is part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and reliability of the services we offer you.”

“How can that be? I don’t see how that is possible. They’re taking away a lifesaving service for me and for all the other dialysis patients. It is not just me, there are five dialysis centers here in town, what about all these other people?” said Linda.

Linda lives just a mile and a half from her dialysis center and there’s never been an issue.

“Because I live close, sometimes they’d bring me straight home from dialysis because I’m not that far from the center,” said Linda.

KAT announced its “Reimagined” routes last week. As part of the changes, the city bus service wants to better coordinate paratransit rides with CAC. In their buses, CAC also transports qualified riders to doctor’s offices.

So what is behind the change? KAT’s Director of Transit Isaac Thorne told 6 News that it is changing service to 30 dialysis customers in an effort to better coordinate transportation service between KAT Lift and Knox County CAC. Thorne added that KAT Lift and CAC often travel to the same geographical locations to transport customers, thus duplicating service.

Linda said the CAC bus that picked her up last week was nearly an hour late, and the ride home took nearly an hour.

“When they came to the dialysis center to get me, now keep in mind it’s a 3734 Martin Mill Pike, it’s 1.6 miles from my house. They drove me all the way to Magnolia to pick another guy up and then brought me all the way home,” said Linda.

KAT Lift has not completely discontinued its service for Linda.

“They’ll take me to the doctor. They’ll take me to UT. They’ll take me shopping to go to the grocery store. They’ll come and get me and bring me back,” said Linda. “But not to dialysis.”

Dialysis leaves patients exhausted and recovery isn’t easy. Linda and other dialysis patients who depend on KAT Lift are dismayed by the change in the service.

Not everyone used KAT Lift to take them to dialysis centers, some used their cars or get a ride from a friend or family member. However, that wasn’t the situation for Linda and others who used the KAT service. CAC buses will transport those patients to dialysis centers, but is that service efficient and timely? Many dialysis patients will tell you it is not.

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