When most people picture an ambulance, they picture flashing lights and a 911 call. But a large share of ambulance trips in Southwest Florida are something different: scheduled, calm, and carefully planned transports for patients who need medical supervision on the way — a hospital discharge home, a transfer to a rehabilitation facility, or a recurring trip to dialysis. That service is called non-emergency medical transport, or NEMT.
Who needs non-emergency medical transport?
NEMT is for patients who are medically stable but can’t safely travel by car, rideshare, or wheelchair van. Common situations include:
- A parent being discharged from a Naples or Fort Myers hospital who can’t sit upright for the ride home
- A nursing-home resident who needs stretcher transport to a specialist appointment
- A patient on continuous oxygen who needs a professionally monitored supply during the trip
- Someone recovering from hip or spinal surgery who must stay immobilized in transit
- A patient who needs regular transport to dialysis, wound care, or infusion appointments
If someone is experiencing a life-threatening emergency, always call 911. NEMT complements — never replaces — the emergency system.
What happens during a transport?
A licensed ambulance crew — at minimum two state-certified EMTs — arrives at the bedside, not the curb. They review the patient’s paperwork with nursing staff, transfer the patient to a powered stretcher, monitor vital signs throughout the trip, and hand the patient off directly to the receiving caregivers. Medtrek calls this bedside-to-bedside care, and it’s the standard for every transport we run.
How do I arrange NEMT in Southwest Florida?
Case managers, facility staff, and family members can all schedule directly. For trips anywhere in Collier or Lee County — Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, or Cape Coral — call Medtrek’s 24/7 dispatch center at (239) 228-7900. For non-urgent future trips, our online contact form works too. We recommend booking routine appointments 24–48 hours ahead, but our team accommodates same-day discharges every day.