In an average year, Madonna’s inpatients take about 13,000 trips off campus — to medical appointments, specialized treatments and procedures that support their recovery. Making sure they arrive safely is a dedicated team of patient transportation specialists.
“We have about 19 drivers, some full-time, some part-time, some on call, and 17 vehicles we use daily between Omaha and Lincoln,” said Patrick Shemek, Madonna’s transportation manager. “The schedules are whatever we need them to be, whatever the patients need them to be.”
As Madonna celebrates National Patient Transport Week, Nov. 2–8, we’re honoring the team that keeps the organization moving. The job takes more than knowing the road — it takes knowing the people you serve.
Casey Garrigan joined the transportation team in 2020, drawn to the opportunity to make a direct impact.
“I worked in corporate life for 20 years, and it just wasn’t fulfilling enough,” Garrigan said. “I wanted something that, at the end of the day, felt like I actually helped somebody directly. I enjoy driving, so this was a natural fit.”
Drivers undergo several weeks of training before making their first solo trip.
“There’s a lot to learn, from how to handle different kinds of patients to the many types of wheelchairs,” Shemek said. “There are so many ADA requirements they need to know, and they need to know how to handle each situation.”
Every day and every patient are different.
“It offers the opportunity to think on our feet and problem-solve with a patient’s safety and comfort in mind,” Garrigan said. “We’re not just drivers. We’re patient care providers as well.”
Each morning, drivers check their assignments and review their caseload, paying close attention to the comfort and safety needs of each passenger.
“We have to know a fair amount about our patients before we get them onboard,” Garrigan said. “Do they have medical equipment that needs to go with them? What type of specific care or positioning do they need? Comfort is a big thing. It’s almost as important as safety. A patient might be susceptible to pain on bumpy roads, so we have to know the streets we drive and be aware of that.”
Madonna’s transportation department relies on collaboration and constant communication to make sure everyone arrives safely. Garrigan says teamwork makes even the busiest days go smoothly.
“It’s a culture within Madonna that we help and care and lift each other up,” he said. “That extends all the way to transportation, and it extends from me as an employee back to everyone as well. I don’t see myself going anywhere else any time soon because of the culture of what Madonna is and the joy that I have in working with my patients and my coworkers.”
Connecting with patients and watching their progress is Garrigan’s favorite part of the job.
“If I have someone on more than one trip, watching them progress and regain what they’ve lost is so special,” he said. “We just have a small part in the big machine, but transportation is a vital part of what Madonna does to help people get back what they’ve lost. I really enjoy it.”
Recently, Madonna’s transportation department received a Department of Roads grant to help purchase six new vehicles, allowing drivers to continue contributing to Madonna’s mission, serving some of the most critically ill and injured patients in the Midwest.