RICHMOND, Va. -- James Agurs is in the fight of his life battling lung cancer with critical chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
His daughter Melissa says her dad can't afford any extra stress, like having to climb up and down stairs in his Mosby Court apartment, and worrying about transportation to his daily cancer treatments.
“He had half a lung removed and now he's going through chemo and radiation, Monday through Friday,” Melissa Agurs said.
She contacted the Problem Solvers and said her dad's transportation to and from treatment has been one of his biggest problems.
“They’ve been picking him up, maybe twice a week,” she explained. “He's had maybe eight rides since July 24.
Agurs has filed complaints with LogistiCare of Virginia, the service provider that arranges transportation for her dad to the Massey Cancer Center. The service is paid for by Medicaid and they provide millions of rides to customers in the area.
Agurs said some mornings he isn't picked up at all and she has to leave work, or scramble to find him a ride. And when he is picked up, she said there are times he's dropped off blocks away from the cancer center.
“He said it's too busy down there, so he put me off at 11th Street and I had to walk the rest of the way,” said Mr. Agurs.
The CBS 6 Problem Solvers contacted LogistiCare and a spokesperson based out of Atlanta said they take the complaint seriously and are investigating.
They promised to get to the bottom of the issues and get Mr. Agurs the service he needs.
“That is critical for him,” his daughter said. “It's radiation, this is to save his life so the cancer can shrink and so he can stay with me as long as God is willing.”
Cindy Franklin, general manager of LogistiCare Virginia Operations, reached out to apologize to the family and issued a statement:
“We apologize to Mr. James Agurs and his daughter, Melissa Agurs, for the issues they experienced in recent weeks. LogistiCare believes that every ride matters and our quality assurance team will be monitoring Mr. Agurs’s future trips to ensure that his concerns are resolved. In addition, Mr. Agurs has been assigned a new transportation provider. He has also been placed on care coordination and a healthcare manager will personally work with Mr. Agurs, his daughter and the cancer center on his transportation needs.”
