Meridian Care Transit Co. moves patients between homes, hospitals, dialysis centers, and rehab facilities across Washington, Perry, and Jefferson counties — with the calm professionalism families ask for by name.
Every ride begins with a phone call to someone who lives in the same county you do. We coordinate directly with case managers, discharge nurses, and family — so nothing falls between the cracks.
Sedan and van transport for patients who can walk with light assistance — clinic visits, therapy, follow-ups, and same-day discharges.
Lift-equipped vans with four-point tie-downs. Our drivers are trained in safe transfer, chair inspection, and door-to-door escort.
Two-attendant service for bed-confined patients moving between hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, or long-distance transfers.
Recurring dialysis, chemotherapy, and physical therapy runs on a fixed weekly schedule — the same driver whenever possible.
St. Louis, Springfield, Evansville, Nashville — inter-facility transfers with clear ETAs, real-time updates, and paperwork handled at both ends.
Coordinated hospital-to-home discharges with equipment loading, family notifications, and settle-in assistance at the front door.
Clay Gillispie started Meridian in 2016 with one wheelchair-accessible van and a single promise: no one in this part of Illinois should miss a doctor's appointment because they couldn't get there. A decade later, that promise still runs the dispatch board.
We are a small, family-operated company. Our dispatchers know the halls of Pinckneyville Community Hospital, the parking layout at Marion VA, and which entrance at Barnes-Jewish has the shortest walk from the elevator. That kind of knowledge doesn't scale — but it does show up on time.
Read our story →Reach dispatch at (618) 787-7969 or email us. We answer live during business hours and return after-hours voicemails within twenty minutes.
Pickup address, mobility level, appointment address, return preferences, and any equipment or oxygen needs.
Flat pricing by mileage tier and vehicle type. Medicaid, VA, and private-pay all handled with itemized receipts.
Standard pickup window is ten minutes before scheduled time. You'll receive a text when the vehicle is one mile out.
"Meridian picked up my father for eight straight weeks of radiation. Same driver, Kevin, every Monday. That consistency was worth more than I can say."
"We use them for discharges when the family can't get away from work. They wait. They help with paperwork. They never rush a patient out the door."
"Called at 6 a.m. for a same-day dialysis ride when our regular provider no-showed. Meridian was in the driveway by 7:15. That's the whole story."
Yes. We are a credentialed transportation provider through Illinois Medicaid's non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) program. Bring your recipient ID number when you call and we'll handle authorization on our end.
For recurring appointments, one week is ideal — that lets us assign the same driver. For one-off rides, 48 hours is plenty. Same-day and next-morning bookings are usually possible; call and we'll tell you honestly.
No fee if you cancel more than 12 hours in advance. Inside that window we ask for half the base fare to cover the driver's reserved shift. We waive this readily for medical reasons.
All drivers hold a valid Illinois chauffeur license, current CPR/First Aid certification, PASS (Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity) training, and a clean background check reviewed annually.
Yes — one adult companion rides free on every trip. Additional riders are billed at $5 per person to cover the seat.
We regularly run to St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Evansville, and Paducah. Longer trips (Chicago, Nashville, Indianapolis) are quoted case by case.
Dispatch is open now. We'll walk you through everything on one phone call.