Native Entrepreneur Improves Access to Healthcare in Rural America with CDFI Support
Client: Quintin Yazzie, owner of Beyond Transport Services
Client Location: Phoenix, AZ
CDFI: DreamSpring
CDFI Service Area: National
Financing and technical assistance with support from OFN’s Finance Justice Fund
Imagine waiting months for a doctor’s appointment or traveling long distances to reach the nearest healthcare facility. These are everyday realities for the 46 million Americans living in rural areas. The hurdles are numerous and complex, from shortages of healthcare providers to limited transportation options.
Often, rural residents have more limited access to preventive care than their urban counterparts, leading to delayed detection of health conditions and higher rates of preventable death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Quintin Yazzie, a Native entrepreneur in Phoenix, Arizona, is making a significant difference to address this healthcare disparity in his community through his fuel-efficient medical transportation company, Beyond Transport Services.
Advancing Rural Healthcare: How CDFIs Make a Difference
When Quintin started his company in 2019, he aimed to provide transportation services for people on the Navajo Nation and the Zuni reservation who needed to get to their medical appointments.
“Where these people live is in rural addresses, and they don’t have their own transportation,” Quintin says. “They have medical conditions that need tending to, and we provide that service so they can meet their healthcare needs and have reliability.”
Beyond Transport Services, a 100% Native-owned, non-emergency medical transportation company, serves clients in rural communities throughout Arizona and New Mexico — two of the ten states with the largest Native populations in the country.
As demand for his services increased, Quintin needed working capital to scale his business. He turned to OFN member DreamSpring, a community development financial institution (CDFI) based in Albuquerque that has supported small business owners in 27 states to accelerate economic inclusion and strengthen the nation’s most vulnerable communities.
DreamSpring’s loan helped Beyond Transport Services purchase fleet vehicles with better fuel efficiency. These upgrades have improved gas mileage and reduced the company’s reliance on fossil fuels, allowing it to accommodate its growing client base and service area.
“We started with three vehicles, and now we have 10 serving at least 60+ clients regularly between Arizona and New Mexico,” Quintin says. “The loan came when we needed it to build our company bigger. My vision is to get up to 20 to 25 vehicles.”
This growth has also allowed Quintin to grow his team from one employee to 20 employees.
Photo: Beyond Transportation Services employees during a training
DreamSpring’s support also went beyond providing a loan. They offered personalized guidance and digital resources, ensuring Beyond Transport Services had the necessary support throughout the loan onboarding process. This comprehensive assistance enabled Quintin to expand Beyond Transport Services operations and better serve his community.
A Path to Health Equity in Rural America
Navigating the complex landscape of healthcare in rural America, particularly in Native communities, is a pressing issue. While rural communities share common challenges, they often face distinct health inequities based on factors such as race, ethnicity, economic background, and more.
The Indian Health Service (IHS), a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services division, provides health services to members of federally recognized tribes. However, despite improvements in expanding access to healthcare, Native communities continue to face higher health disparities compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts.
Native communities experience disproportionately low access to medical infrastructure, especially for routine and preventative care. Therefore, because many tribes are still not state or federally recognized, many Native populations do not have access to health services provided by IHS.
Beyond Transport Services is filling a vital gap in healthcare accessibility by connecting dispersed rural Native populations to the ongoing medical care they need, “going the extra mile” in both the vast geographies they span and the trust they are building with in-person, culturally relevant support to Native communities.
Understanding this diversity is crucial for developing targeted and effective policies and programs that address the challenges of rural communities nationwide. Many federal and state healthcare policies are designed with urban settings in mind and may not adequately address the unique needs of rural communities, especially Native communities. These challenges delay necessary treatments and widen health inequities between urban and rural populations.
With deep knowledge and relationships in the communities they serve, CDFIs are well-positioned to ensure that healthcare improvements are not just temporary fixes but lasting solutions that promote healthier and thriving communities.
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