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Ford Donates Transit Connect WellCar to University of Kansas

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Transit Connect WellCar

Ford Transit Connect WellCar

Ford has donated a new Ford Transit Connect to the University of Kansas to become the school’s first WellCar, which will bring medical care to rural patients for the coming year.

Unfortunately, people in rural areas may need to travel for hours to receive medical care, which can aggravate or add anxiety to their illness if they rely on others for transportation. The WellCar service offers a solution to that problem by reversing the situation and delivering medical care to their door instead.

The donated Transit Connect WellCar will be used as a mobile medical office. It has the room and versatility to transport a nurse practitioner and up to six patients a day in addition to all of the medical equipment and wireless communication system necessary for treatment.

And because it’ll be expected to regularly travel long distances between patients, the Transit Connect also delivers a best-in-class 30 mpg EPA-estimated highway fuel economy rating to help reduce operating costs.

“Unlike current medical vehicles, whose capabilities are generally dedicated to simple tasks such as immunizations and health awareness programs, the WellCar model will enable nurse practitioners to provide a broad array of comprehensive, prevention-based patient care services,” said Gregory Thomas, design professor and director, KU Center for Design Research.