What started as a simple promise — to make medical transportation easier for Texas Children’s patients and families — has grown into a remarkable milestone. Through multi-disciplinary teamwork and unwavering commitment, our Care Ride program has completed its 1,000th transport.
Since the program’s first ride in 2024, compassionate care has remained at the forefront of their purpose. This shared value has allowed the program to increase its efforts of ensuring behavioral health patients are transported from the hospital to psychiatric facilities with safety, comfort and timeliness.
On average, the Care Ride program picks up patients in 34 minutes while EMS transports can take longer. The program is dedicated to working efficiently because this approach reduces patient flow bottlenecks and allows children to quicky receive the treatment they need. Each thoughtfully planned transport is led by two trained professionals using secure, state-of-the-art equipment while helping patients feel at ease with child-friendly music and engaging videos.
This life-changing and free transportation service has done more than ease patients’ anxiety and lift a tremendous weight off families who want their child to be carefully transported with dignity. The service has contributed significantly to decreasing the stigma surrounding behavioral health. To learn more about the program’s purpose and influence, click here.
One parent commented, “Going to an unknown place is always scary. Yet, Care Ride made my daughter feel safe and at ease with the transport process.”
The impact is clear in the Transfer Center, “Since implementing our new Care Ride fleet, we’ve significantly improved patient movement and transfer efficiency. What once could take 24 hours or more—waiting for an available ambulance—can now be accomplished within the hour. The addition of these dedicated SUVs has allowed us to safely and efficiently transport psychiatric patients to accepting facilities, reducing wait times and improving the overall continuity of care.”
The Care Ride program is a cross collaboration of dedicated team members from Behavioral Health, including Mission Control and Transfer Center, Care Coordinators, Emergency Center Staff, House Supervisors and Providers and Security Officers working together to support our patients.
One House Supervisor perfectly captured the program’s impact by stating, “Through the Texas Children’s Care Ride program, patients transferring to psychiatric facilities can travel safely, quickly and comfortably—reflecting our commitment to compassionate, patient and family centered care at every step.”
Thanks to a generous $1 million gift from the Rawley Family Foundation, the Care Ride program continues to extend its impact, offering an added level of care and compassion for our behavioral health patients. According to the Rawley Family Foundation, their support of this program has a special meaning, “Our family is profoundly honored to support the launch of the Care Ride program. We’ve been part of the Texas Children’s community for generations, and this initiative touches our hearts in a deeply personal way. Every child deserves to be treated with dignity—especially in moments of vulnerability. The opportunity to help provide safe, compassionate transport for children in behavioral health crisis, free from fear or stigma, means everything to us. This program reflects the values our family holds most dear: hope, safety, and love. We’re incredibly excited to help bring this vision to life and humbled by the chance to impact patients and families in such a meaningful and lasting way.”
Join us in congratulating everyone involved in the Care Ride program on this exciting milestone!
