Attention: Extreme heat or smoke may disrupt your transportation service. Trips may be limited to emergencies and life-sustaining care only.
Please note:
- Routine trips may need to be canceled.
- Trips may be approved to cooling centers.
- You will be notified if your scheduled trip changes.
- NW Rides is working hard to keep you and others safe.
What you can do
Drink water: Bring cool water when traveling
Mask up: Use a surgical mask or N95 mask when the air quality is bad
Shade and shelter: Wait indoors or in a shady area for your ride
Use cooling items: Bring a cold towel, fan or cold pack
Get alerts: Sign up for local emergency and power company alerts
Power company: Contact your power company to tell them about medical equipment needs that depend on electricity
Access benefits: Request items such as air conditioners and air purifiers, if eligible. Call Customer Service at 503-488-2882 or 855-722-8206.
Transportation Options
Do you need help with transportation to your health care appointments?
Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services are a covered Medicaid benefit for Columbia Pacific members. If you have no way to get to a covered health appointment, a rideshare program called NW Rides can get you there. Depending on your needs, you may be provided rides, get passes to ride the bus or get help paying for gas. Contact NW Rides toll-free at 888-793-0439 to talk about your transportation options.
Check out our Riders Guide for details about the transportation program.
If you want a printed copy of the Rider's Guide, please contact Columbia Pacific CCO Customer Service at 855-722-8206 or TTY 711. We will send you the printed Rider's Guide within five business days.
Call center hours
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
503-861-0657
Toll-free: 888-793-0439
TTY: 711
The call center is closed on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. NW Rides’
services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. To arrange after-hours or weekend transportation, call as far ahead as possible to schedule your rides.
2023 NEMT recap
- Total NEMT users
- 2,687
- Total trips
- 72,075
- Total distance traveled
- 1,396,986 miles
Reimbursement Guide
NW Rides NEMT Program Evaluation Findings
CareOregon, in partnership with NW Rides, sends out a yearly satisfaction survey asking stakeholders about their experiences with utilizing transportation services through, driving for, and operating for NW Rides. The evaluation questions and what we heard from members, drivers, and providers from the surveys and focus groups are included in the NW Rides NEMT Evaluation Snapshot Report below. Feedback from the program evaluation is used to make improvements to the NEMT program.
