Attention: Winter weather hazards may disrupt your transportation service. Trips may be limited to emergencies and life-sustaining care only.
What to know
Winter weather can cause problems for transportation. Bad weather may make it hard or unsafe to travel. During this time, only life-sustaining and critical care trips may be available. That includes things like dialysis treatment, chemotherapy or a hospital discharge.
During this time:
- Routine (non-urgent) trips may need to be canceled.
- You may also be able to get a trip to warming centers and other places to stay.
If your scheduled trip changes, we will let you know when possible.
NW Rides is working hard to keep everyone safe.
What you can do
Dress warm: Wear warm clothes and dress in layers
Call NW Rides with changes
- Sometimes your provider may cancel your appointment or close their office
- Call NW Rides at 503-488-2822 or toll-free 888-722-8206 (TTY 711) to if you need to cancel or change your trip
Stay informed
- Check the NW Rides website for service alerts
- Watch or listen to local weather reports
Avoid frostbite and hypothermia: Go indoors or to a warm place. Call 211 to find winter weather help and shelters
Get alerts: Sign up for power company updates, and get local emergency alerts through Oregon Alert
Contact your power company: If you use medical equipment that needs electricity, let your power company know
Access benefits: You may be able to get items such as heaters or portable power supplies, if eligible. Call Customer Service at 503-488-2822 or 855-722-8206 to learn more.
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.
