Photos by Samantha Bengtson
Hortencia Garcia drives Eden Valley Care Center’s new van, transporting residents to medical appointments outside of the community.
SOLEDAD — Eden Valley Care Center in Soledad has a new van to transport residents to medical appointments outside of the community.
Hortencia Garcia, central supply and van driver, drives residents to their doctor appointments in King City or Salinas and has gone as far as Ryan Ranch for resident appointments. Garcia has worked for Eden Valley for more than 20 years and is on-call for driving the van.
“It drives really smooth and is really quiet,” Garcia said.
The van is brand new from Corning Ford and was customized for Eden Valley.
The van can hold up to three wheelchairs or two wheelchairs and four passengers.
There is a built-in ramp for wheelchairs and patients to be lifted into the van and can be operated by one person.
“The Harden Ranch Foundation gave us a grant to assist in the purchasing of the van,” said Gary Staab, interim CEO. “The grant was much more than we even hoped for. We thought we would get partial payment and they paid for the whole thing.”
The van’s purpose, besides driving residents to doctor’s appointments, is also to take residents on field trips to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The van can also be used in the case of an emergency to transport residents away from danger.
“This vehicle has the potential to significantly add to the quality of life of our residents,” Staab said.
Garcia has already taken the van on about 10 trips with Eden Valley Care Center residents.
The new van is one of two that Eden Valley has and is the larger of the two.
