How many people in Johnston County can’t get to work, the doctor, or even the grocery store… simply because they don’t have a car?

I thought I understood what public services looked like here — until I sat down with Josh Jensen. From JCATS and Quick Ride to Meals on Wheels and senior housing, what he shared changed how I see this county.

What happens when the systems we never notice disappear?

Our guest is Josh Jensen, the executive director of Johnston County Community and Senior Services. We talked to Josh a little bit about his background in healthcare administration and how he ended up working with seniors. He really enjoys seniors and he found his career. Moving towards helping seniors stay out of nursing homes, which is what led him to Johnston County.

We also talked to him a little bit about all the different things that, that the senior that his programs do, including JCATS Quick Ride, which is like an Uber for Smithfield and Selma, as well as Meals on Wheels of Johnston County. So if you're interested in helping seniors or how the county can help seniors or how to just get around, even if you're not a senior, listen in.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to another edition of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden, and on today's episode we have Josh Jensen, the Executive Director of Community and Senior Services for Johnston County.

You don't have to be poor. It's for anybody who would like a ride to a medical appointment. We're also gonna talk to him about his new program, Quick Rides, which is like Uber for Smithfield and Selma, and how he might be trying to expand it into Clayton. And we're also gonna talk to him about Meals on Wheels.

He's in charge of that as well. So I don't know when he sleeps, but we're gonna talk to him a little bit about all the different things he does. He has a $14 million budget and they do tons and tons and tons for seniors in this community. Before we get to that, I'd like you to like, follow, subscribe to this podcast.

We've had the vast majority of the county commissioners. We've had many local, local business owners like Realtor Donald O'Meara, financial advisors like Chris Key. We have Woody Bailey talking about computer IT for your office. We've had all types of great guests so go back and listen to some of them.

If you love Johnston County as much as I do, this is the podcast for you. Welcome, Josh.

Josh Jensen: Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.

Jonathan Breeden: No problem. Did I mess up your title?

Josh Jensen: It's community and senior services of Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Alright. Community and Senior Services of Johnston County Semantics. Alright, so you're the executive director of that.

You've been on that job for two and a half years. Before we get to that, let's talk about like your biography. Where, where'd you grow up? You know, where'd you go to school?

Josh Jensen: So I was born and raised in southeastern South. Okay. South of Sioux Falls, if anybody's familiar with the Midwest, I grew up in a town of 900 people, but a half hour from a city of 200,000.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome.

Josh Jensen: I, I went to the University of South Dakota for healthcare Administration, so my degree is in hospital. Administration.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And following that, I fell into long-term care. So my first role outta college, I was a nursing home administrator.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And following a few years in that I was promoted up the ranks and became a regional vice president of operations for a for-profit nursing home chain. And then my first child was born and I got sick of being on a plane all the time.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And I was there for 13 years.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

And I had a recruiter reach out to me about an opportunity in Florida, and that was keeping people out of. Nursing homes and I started to feel myself gravitating towards that previously Anyway. Okay, so my family and I, we moved to Brevard County, Florida near Cocoa Beach, and I ran the organization that provided or coordinated all of the services to keep people out of nursing homes.

So Meals on Wheels, home health, home improvement, transportation, all those types of things. And I was there. Almost six years and we decided we wanted to be closer to family, but didn't want to go back to Midwest winter.

Jonathan Breeden: It's cold in the Midwest in the winter.

Josh Jensen: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Very cold. Especially in south of North Dakota.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome. So you came to Johnston County to take over this position, I think two and a half years ago.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: What did they tell you the job was and what did you find out the job was when you got here? Because there's always two sides of that.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So. Who do you work for? Because you don't work for the county?

Josh Jensen: No.

Jonathan Breeden: I thought you worked for the county and answered to Rick Hester, but you do not.

Josh Jensen: I do not.

Jonathan Breeden: Who do you work for?

Josh Jensen: I answered to Rick Hester, but I do not work for him.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Alright. So Rick Hester's the Johnston County manager for anybody knowing, I thought really it was another county department, but that it is not really.

Josh Jensen: No, it's not.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: We are not-for-profit 501(c)(3) and I report to a volunteer board of directors.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, okay. And what is that? Not-for-profit call.

Josh Jensen: Community and senior services.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Alright.

Josh Jensen: And what the other things we do are, so for example, we consider JCATS a division of community and senior services.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: We have other divisions and we actually have multiple corporations because we also operate 140 units of hud, senior apartments around the county as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So now is this not for profit, just Johnston County? Is it a regional one?

Josh Jensen: It is just Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And nobody can tell me how we got ahold of those, but we,

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So you managed 30 senior housing units in Cary.

Josh Jensen: Everything else is Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Everything's in Johnston County. So how is your board selected?

Josh Jensen: There's an application process. People can apply on the board of directors, review the application, make sure that they're a good fit for our mission and vision. And not just that, but also demographically and geographically. 'cause we want representation of the whole county. Okay. And we, we make the decision like we don't want 10 people from Clayton, one from Smithfield, none from Princeton, you know?

Right. We want, we want a good mix of board members.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So your budget is $14 million.

Josh Jensen: Between all of our programs around that.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And JCATS is just one of it.

Josh Jensen: JCATS is about half.

Josh Jensen: So, JCATS primary purpose is non-medical transportation for anybody. We do a lot of dialysis trips each and every morning Monday through Saturday, but it's mostly for people that aren't able to drive to get to those types of appointments. There are some other programs where we can bring people to go get their pharmacy and different things. There was some changes in Medicaid managed care around a year ago.

That allow them to pay for services, like to go to the pharmacy and just to do those other different things that'll be covered under their health plan, just to make it more usable for the patient.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So now, and JCATS, is it free? Do you have to pay?

Josh Jensen: There's a number of different programs that can cover a lot of times cover the fare. If they don't fall into one of those, it's a $6. It's a $6 fare if they don't fit into one of the plans.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So $6 each way.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Josh Jensen: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. But what, what, what are some of the things, most of the trips. Or paid for, not by the person they're paid for by one of these other entities. What are some of the things that qualify to get a free ride from JCATS?

Josh Jensen: Well, if you're over the age of 60, you can get free medical transportation through several different programs.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: There are also some state programs that will allow us to cover those medical trips if they're under the age of 60.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: The most of 'em, the other ones. There's some work related trips. So we actually have different routes. So we, we have one bus particular, for example, I think I brought it up at the breakfast the other day. We have a bus that goes around that picks up people for a variety of reasons.

Some are going to work, some are going to medical appointments, some are, you know, they're going just different reasons. And it's almost a ride share on our buses.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And we have the technology to be able to sort out who needs to pay what. And it's a good service for those.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. Well, and the thing you pointed out at the breakfast that got me, was it's open to everybody.

It's open to all it even if I don't qualify for any of the financial help, if I'm willing to pay $12, you will come pick me up. Now, does the appointment have to be in Johnston County?

Josh Jensen: No.

Jonathan Breeden: Or will you drive me to Raleigh?

Josh Jensen: We go to six other counties.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: We do frequently, we do trips to the VA in Durham to Chapel Hill, to UNC to around different hospitals.

But the trip has to originate in Johnston County.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. I didn't know that. Well, we got the new VA in Garner. Is it open yet?

Josh Jensen: I don't believe so.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. All right. Well, it's gonna open by the time this broadcast runs, it might be open, so that'll be good. Maybe we'll be able to, it's a lot closer than those other VAs.

Josh Jensen: You, you call into our scheduler. She'll see if we, what, what buses are going where, what day, and how we can fit you in.

And, you know, it is public transportation, so it's not, you know, door to door concierge service. You may be picked up at six in the morning for an appointment at nine 30 and then not, maybe not get picked up again till one. It's, it's public transportation. You have to take the, the good with the bad. And sometimes some people have some long days if they're going say to Chapel Hill because those buses are running to the different clinics and outpatient things around up and down I 40. And sometimes there's a a wait before and after.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Alright. I mean, it makes sense. I didn't even really think about it that way, but it does make sense because you're trying to. Maximize the ridership on every single bus that you have going out there.

And for a 25 foot bus that gets about eight miles to a gallon, that's not that's not a winning proposal.

Jonathan Breeden: I gotcha. I gotcha. So, so I mean, so how many, I mean, I mean how many trips did JCATS do last year?

Josh Jensen: Last year we did just under 125,000 trips.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

That's a big jump and we've seen it in the growth and the demand in our buses for the first time that I can remember. And my predecessor can remember. If you go to JCATS at eight in the morning, there are no buses. Usually there's one or two. We usually had the, you know, capacity to have a couple extra buses just in case.

And we don't right now, if, if a bus breaks down we're scrambling, man. Alright, so the majority of your funding comes from the federal government? That's correct. Is that correct? That is correct. And what part of the federal government is it under? Is it under the FTA Federal Transportation Administration.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Right. And I know the county. Commissioners give you about a million dollars a year.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: And before I met you, I thought the county commissioners paid for almost all of what you do.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Jonathan Breeden: So I've learned that if, you know, I really didn't realize it was largely federal funding.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

What is that and how is it a part of JCATS?

Josh Jensen: So it is a part of JCATS. What it does, it's simply it's the public transportation's version of Uber. I think I share that at the breakfast. We have an app, it's on demand. Usually we can come get you within 20 minutes if you're within the Smithfield Selma zone.

But what it does when you're running in public transfer, if you're running a bus route and say it's going up down 301 in Smithfield. There's no houses on 301 in Smithfield, so people are walking, you know, could have maybe walk 3, 4, 5 blocks and then wait for a bus. This is much more flexible.

It's door to door, and it's much more cost effective than it is to actually run a giant bus and not knowing what the fare and fare ridership are gonna be.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: You know what you're getting.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Are these done in individual cars like Uber?

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: And they're seven passenger.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And so you, and you take me from point A to point B, and it can be. It doesn't have to be medical on quick rides. No, no. I You take me to my friend's house.

Josh Jensen: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. As long as I'm in the Smithfield Selma zone.

Josh Jensen: Yes, that is correct.

Jonathan Breeden: Alright. And it's also $6 one way,

Josh Jensen: $6 one way, whether you have one person or five people, it's six bucks.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And where does the funding from that come from? Is it the same as the sort of the federal funding for the medical transport?

Josh Jensen: No in, in. In rural counties, which Johnston mostly is, there really isn't a funding stream for it. Okay. So the budget for Quick Ride consists of fares and then County support because the county commissioners have seen the value in the program.

Josh Jensen: So there's several different things to go into making that a reality. The first one is hopefully going to be resolved in the near future.

Clayton and Flowers are now considered urban by the federal government. They're a small urban area, so that does qualify for federal funds funding, unlike Smithfield and Selma. So we are working with the federal government and the state to be able to find ways to draw down those funds. The funds have been awarded, we just haven't been able to draw them down yet.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: The second piece of it is I need vehicles. And I have been awarded 10 expansion vehicles, and you get public transit in North Carolina, you get based on a formula and your size, three to five, seven replacement vehicles every year based on the age of the bus, the miles, you know, those types of things.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh man. That's great. So you're gonna get 10 new vehicles?

Josh Jensen: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Oh, that's awesome.

Josh Jensen: The downs and the other part of it, the supply chain issues. I have replacement buses that I ordered last January that I haven't received yet.

Josh Jensen: So it's been been about nine months since I ordered.

Jonathan Breeden: Nine months since you ordered 'em. Okay. Alright. So when do you think you might get 'em?

Josh Jensen: They keep putting it off. I don't know.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay, I gotcha.

Josh Jensen: So, and I have ordered the vehicles for the expansion vehicles, but it's. Not up to me when they come. And, and unfortunately, and if you, when you look at some of our vans the chassis's identical to Amazon's, so we're fighting with Amazon over chassis.

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Jonathan Breeden: So, alright, so we have JCATS. For the non-emergency medical transport, we have quick rides at Smithfield of Selma, which is like Uber or Lyft. For taking you from Point A to Point B $6 each way.

You also oversee Meals on Wheels. Let's talk about that. What is Meals on Wheels? Who qualifies? How do you go about doing that?

Josh Jensen: So, the community and senior services side of what we do we are the provider that helps coordinate all the home and community based programs in Johnston County. So Meals on Wheels is one of 'em.

They're the same criteria except they have the ability to get to the dining site, and that's more about socialization and just, and trying to avoid isolation and you know, keeping people active.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: We also have a home improvement program, so we'll do wheelchair ramps, so grab bars and home modifications to make sure that people can stay in their homes versus having to go to an assisted living or a nursing home.

We have senior centers that we operate and have different programming in, in. Clayton, Smithfield and Selma and Benson that we provide daily programming for people. Just again to avoid isolation and help with their socialization.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, I'm definitely familiar with the senior centers, particularly the one in Clayton. They do a ton of great things there for sure. So where do you cook the food for the Meals on Wheels?

So every morning we, they truck the food in containers that just keep it hot and cold and they bring it out to the different distribution sites when then the Meals on Wheels. Drivers come distribute the meals each day and come back and we do it again tomorrow.

Jonathan Breeden: So how many meals do you distribute each day in Johnston County?

Josh Jensen: I had JCATS on my brain.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay.

Josh Jensen: What did we,

Jonathan Breeden: it could be an approximate number. It doesn't have to be exact.

Josh Jensen: I'm just trying to do the, we do about a hundred a day.

Jonathan Breeden: A hundred a day, okay.

Josh Jensen: Because we have about 300, we have about 300 clients.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And, and they get a meal every day. Every other day,

Oh, okay. 'cause we don't want anybody to go without a meal, but with the rules and regulations when it comes to food temperatures, food safety, you know, foodborne illnesses, we, there's, there's limits to how far we, we can, we can get out in the county.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. So where are the congregate dining sites?

Josh Jensen: We have congregate dining sites at all of our senior centers.

Okay. Which is Selma, Smithfield, Benson, Clayton. And then we also have one in Kenley.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Do you serve a meal there every day?

Josh Jensen: Yes. They're the same meals that go out to the meals and meals clients.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And so you serve those five days a week?

Josh Jensen: Yes.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Well that's really good. That's really good. Well, that's great for them to I mean, you're right about the isolation, right? They get to see each other. Mm-hmm. Tell stories, show pictures of grandkids. I think they play games. I know with the Clayton one, they, they, I've known 'em to play bingo. Mm-hmm. And card games and, and that kind of stuff. They're always looking for volunteers.

Josh Jensen: You call Sarah at our main office in Smithfield.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. Because I mean, they always need more volunteers. I've mm-hmm. Done some of that. Over the years, you know, it's a ton of fun.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm. We do have a waiting list right now for Meals on Wheels, and part of it is funding. Part of it is just a lack of drivers in some of some areas.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. And then the drivers are volunteers?

Josh Jensen: Yes, that's correct.

Jonathan Breeden: I've done that before. The problem was, as I was telling you before we started recording, I would get off of off of my route because I'd start talking and then I was gonna be late. And I know anybody that knows me, it's like I cannot believe. Jonathan Breeden got to talking to where he didn't, he wasn't able to get, he was trying to get, to get his other meals delivered because I was having too much fun talking to people and meeting people and, and, and I, and I recognized that was the only person they might even see that day.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm.

Josh Jensen: Well, if I had a dollar for everybody that's told me that story it, it's really fulfilling to do a Meals on Wheels route. And the other important part of it, it is, you know, the isolation, but you know, we work closely with EMS and law enforcement too. 'cause it's also a wellness check on that person. And we have had instances where people knock on a door and nobody answers and something's happened. So, you know, it's, it's a, it's an important service in a, not a different ways.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. That, that's true. That's true. So. I'm almost afraid to ask what else is under CCS. I mean, we've done Meals on Wheels, we've done quick rods, we've done jake hats. Is there anything else you're responsible for?

Josh Jensen: Said, we have about 140 senior apartments run. I managed through hud, the Housing Urban Development that we have apartments in Smithfield. We have apartments in two places in Clayton, Princeton, Kinley and Cary.

Josh Jensen: Through the, through the federal government's eyes, were the property managers until 40 years as it. Passed on since the initial BU of the building, and then we become the owners of the property.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay, I got you. So, and then people, you have to be a certain age to live in these? Mm-hmm. How old do you have to be 60. You have to be 60. Okay. And there's an income level. You have to be sliding scale. Okay.

Josh Jensen: It's sliding scale and it's X amount above the poverty line is what you qualify for. And then your rent goes up or down depending on where you, where you land. Okay. And it's income based, not asset based. So you can have, you know, a savings account, but if you're drawing very little interest off of that, that's really not gonna count against you.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. All right. So some people pay some nominal amount and some people don't pay anything at all.

Josh Jensen: Correct.

Where you have adult children staying in these homes where they're not supposed to be. And often if you're gonna have trouble, it's from the adult children and their kids, not from the actual resident.

Right.

Jonathan Breeden: So what do y'all do to, to make sure that these places are safe?

Josh Jensen: Well, we have security cameras through all the properties and we have.

We have people on that live in, they live on site, but they also act as kind of a, also a manager to make sure things are in line and if there's a light bulb that they can change that and those types of things. And then our property manager does, you know, frequent visits and maintenance guys are there almost every other day at one of the properties.

Okay. Just to keep an eye on things

Jonathan Breeden: so you know what's going on. I mean. You know, if you got a problem, somebody's gonna come tell you or your property managers about it, and, and that's, that's gonna be important. Do you have a lot of incidents?

Josh Jensen: It's nothing. Nothing serious. Serious. Okay. Well that's good there.

Jonathan Breeden: cowboys got incidents.

Josh Jensen: I mean, we've, we've had some crazy things happen, but for the most part it's, you know, pretty quiet. Just neighbors not liking each other, those types of things, you know? Well, that could happen sometimes too. I won't say which town, but my very, when I first started here, we had a tenant pull a sword on another tenant.

Oh. A sort that, that was, that was, that was the extreme one since I've been there, but usually it's, oh my goodness. Okay. Usually it's just bickering or, you know, you took my parking spot kind of stuff.

Jonathan Breeden: Okay. I gotcha. Well, that's cool. That's cool. Well, that's great. That's great. Is there anything else, the public, that listen as podcast, eat and know about CSS and all the things y'all do?

Josh Jensen: Oh, we're a, we'd like to be less of a secret. I don't think people, a lot of people know what we, what we do. We had, I had a lady reach out to me about renting one of our buses 'cause she saw it and didn't know what it was and just called to ask what, you know, she could borrow it and no, that's not how this works.

Right, right. And that's really not the case. And we have, we work with Johnston County Industries to bring a lot, some of their people onto their campus. I had a meeting a couple weeks ago at Johnston Community College about working, looking at a partnership to get those. Challenge students that can't, don't have Right.

Transportation. Try to get them onto campus. Right. And I actually have a meeting next week with Amazon right now. We take through Quick Ride, we bring seven or eight of their, their staff to work every morning and then back and after their shift and after the breakfast actually the general manager of the plant came up to me and said, I have at least 25 people that struggle to get here that aren't in your.

Quick red zone, what can we do?

And I, and that's part of the reason I'm doing this podcast. Mm-hmm. I mean, you're doing that like really, I think people need to know about it. I've worked with JCATS over the years. I've been a family lawyer in Johnston County for 25 years. I've had all different types of clients that need to get places, young people, old places.

Mm-hmm. Old, older people and stuff. So I was very familiar with it. I've just learned about Quick Rides. I've done Meals on Wheels, but I didn't realize it was under your program. I just volunteered and helped y you know what I mean? I didn't know. I went here, I took, took meals around. I didn't understand where the meals came from.

I just was riding around talking to people. So, I mean, I appreciate you doing coming out and. And talking to us and speaking to the breakfast. And, and, and you'll go speak to any church or community group or somebody on your staff? Will I do If, if they reach out, right? If you, if you wanna know how to be involved, I'll volunteer.

What's the best way to get in touch with you?

I don't think people realize that. I think you spoke at the breakfast you said. 18% of the households in Johns county have no vehicle or only one vehicle.

Josh Jensen: Mm-hmm. That's correct.

Jonathan Breeden: I don't think a lot of people realize that as well. And, and that's a lot of a county of, you know, 275,000 people. There's a lot of households that, that are, that, that have problems with transportation.

Right. We also started a food bank while I was on the board of Johnston Community College, which I think they still have. So these are all things I think people lose track, right? You live out here in Cleveland, like me, you go to Raleigh every day. I think people can lose track of. Of, of, of some of the poverty that we do have in this county.

Mm-hmm. And some of the ways that our citizens are challenged just like any other citizens. Mm-hmm. And so you're doing a lot to help seniors and, and, and anybody through your program and, and, and that we're very appreciative of that and all the work you and your team are doing. The last question we ask everybody on this podcast, you've been here two and a half years, what do you love most about Johnston County?

Jonathan Breeden: Oh,

Josh Jensen: that's great.

Jonathan Breeden: That's great. Well, we'd like to thank Josh Jensen, who's executive director of community Services Senior and Community Services. I'm gonna get that wrong every time for being our guest on this week's episode of The Best of Johnston County Podcast. As we mentioned earlier feel free to like, subscribe to this podcast wherever you're seeing it.

So you'd be made, made aware. A future episode of The Best of Johnston County would also be great if you give us a five star review down below so that we'll know what you like or maybe dislike about The Best of Johnston County Podcast. And if you'd be so kind as to share. The social media clips that you see and tag us in your Instagram stories.

Best of Johnston County that will help more people learn about this podcast and learn why you love Johnston County as much as we love Johnston County. And that's why we bring this podcast to you every week. Until next time, I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden.

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