ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – An Escanaba healthcare provider is offering a free service to get people home unharmed after their New Year’s Eve celebrations.
For 39 years, OSF HealthCare has offered Liferides to anyone in Escanaba and Gladstone who has been drinking on December 31 and needs a lift home.
JN Taxi and the Delta Area Transit Authority (DATA) will give callers Liferides on Sunday from 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. All costs will be covered by the Liferide program, which is supported by the Island Resort and Casino, Escanaba Area Credit Unions, the Edward Sackerson Foundation, the Community Foundation for Delta County, Bay College, Michigan Planners, and Elmer’s County Market.
According to OSF Public Relations Representative Joanna Wilbee-Amis, the Liferide program serves a few hundred people each year, preventing potential tragedies that can occur as a result of drunk driving.
“Our emergency department is here to care for people 24/7, 365 days a year, but these aren’t the types of accidents that we want to see occur in any community,” she said. “It’s really a priority to keep our community safe.”
To get a Liferide this New Year’s Eve, call JN Taxi at (906) 786-1122 or the DATA bus at (906) 786-1186, extension 1. OSF asks callers to plan ahead, program the numbers into their phones in advance, and to have patience as a large number of Liferides are expected.
