Loading...
What Counts as an Emergency?
Call 911 if you experience:
We provide NEMT for:
Dream Care Rides is a licensed NEMT provider. We do not provide emergency ambulance or paramedic services.
Loading...
Last updated: March 2026
Dependable non-emergency medical transportation to Rush in the Illinois Medical District. Ambulatory, wheelchair, bariatric, and stretcher services with trained, professional drivers.
Located at 1620 W Harrison Street in Chicago's Illinois Medical District, Rush University Medical Center is a nationally recognized academic medical center known for advanced surgical programs, orthopedic care, neurological sciences, and one of the top bariatric surgery centers in the Midwest.
The Illinois Medical District is one of the largest urban medical districts in the country, and Rush is its anchor institution. Patients travel from across the Chicago metropolitan area for Rush's specialty clinics, surgical programs, cancer treatment, and rehabilitation services.
Dream Care Rides provides reliable NEMT to Rush for routine appointments, outpatient procedures, chemotherapy infusions, bariatric consultations, post-surgical follow-ups, and same-day hospital discharges.
Rush patients have specialized needs. We match the right vehicle and service level to every trip.
Sedan or SUV with a trained driver. Curb-to-Curb, Door-to-Door, or Hand-to-Hand service levels for patients who can walk.
Wheelchair-accessible vehicles with hydraulic lifts and four-point securement for safe, comfortable rides.
Bariatric-rated vehicles with reinforced ramps, wider cabins, and weight-rated equipment for patients over 300 lbs.
Stretcher vans with trained attendants for patients who cannot sit upright. Ideal for hospital discharges and facility transfers.
We serve the entire Chicagoland area. These neighborhoods and suburbs are our most frequent pickup locations for Rush patients.
Near West Side
Pilsen
Little Village
Austin
West Loop
Oak Park
Berwyn
Your driver calls you 30 minutes before pickup with an estimated arrival time. At your home, the driver assists you from your front door to the vehicle with door-through-door service. For wheelchair patients, the driver deploys the hydraulic lift and secures your chair with Q'Straint straps before departing.
At Rush, the driver pulls into the Harrison Street NEMT loading lane. Ambulatory and wheelchair patients enter through the main Harrison Street entrance, which leads directly to the hospital lobby. The driver walks you to the information desk or your department elevator bank. For stretcher patients, the two-person crew uses the ground-level ramp access at Harrison Street and coordinates with Rush staff for patient transfer to the hospital stretcher.
For bariatric patients visiting Rush's nationally ranked bariatric surgery program, our bariatric-rated vehicles use the Harrison Street NEMT lane with reinforced ramps for dignified, safe loading and unloading. The wider lane at Rush accommodates our bariatric vehicles without congestion.
Rush is nationally ranked for bariatric surgery. We transport pre-op consultations, surgery day, and all post-operative follow-ups with bariatric-rated vehicles.
Joint replacement follow-ups, sports medicine, and physical therapy referrals. Many orthopedic patients need wheelchair transport post-surgery.
Chemotherapy infusions, radiation therapy, and cancer treatment follow-up appointments with recurring standing orders available.
Stroke recovery, epilepsy management, and neurodegenerative disease appointments requiring consistent transportation.
Heart failure management, cardiac rehabilitation, and interventional cardiology follow-up visits.
Pre-surgical consultations, same-day procedures, and post-operative rehabilitation requiring regular transport.
Private pay patients call (708) 505-6994 and book same-day with an upfront confirmed price. No broker, no 48-hour wait, no rotating drivers. For Rush bariatric surgery patients who may need multiple trips in a short window (pre-op, surgery day, post-op follow-ups), private pay standing orders provide consistent scheduling with the same driver every time.
For discharge trips from Rush, private pay handles same-day changes in one phone call. If your surgeon clears you early or your discharge is delayed, we adjust immediately. Medicaid-covered transport through a broker typically cannot accommodate same-day discharge time changes without a new authorization.
Dream Care Rides is a licensed, insured non-emergency medical transportation provider headquartered in Olympia Fields, Illinois (NPI #1033989991), serving patients throughout Chicago, Cook County, and the greater Illinois-Indiana metro area.
Book online at dreamcarerides.com or call (708) 505-6994. Provide the hospital address at 1620 W Harrison St, Chicago, IL 60612 as your pickup or drop-off location. Our dispatch team coordinates the pickup at the Harrison Street NEMT loading lane for safe, efficient patient transfer. For hospital discharges, we recommend booking as soon as your discharge date is confirmed so we can assign a vehicle and coordinate with the Rush discharge team.
Yes. Rush University Medical Center is home to one of the leading bariatric surgery programs in Illinois, and bariatric transport to and from Rush is one of our most frequent requests. Dream Care Rides provides bariatric-rated vehicles with reinforced ramps, 36-inch-minimum door clearance, wider cabins, and weight-rated securement systems. Our drivers are trained in bariatric patient assistance and transfer techniques. Bariatric wheelchair transport accommodates patients up to 400 pounds, and bariatric stretcher transport accommodates patients up to 700 pounds.
Medicaid covers non-emergency medical transportation for eligible members in Illinois. Contact your Medicaid managed care organization to confirm your NEMT benefit. Medicare Advantage plans often include supplemental transportation benefits as well. Dream Care Rides also accepts private-pay patients with transparent, upfront pricing and no hidden fees. Private pay patients benefit from same-day booking and no broker authorization requirement, which is especially valuable for hospital discharge trips.
Yes. We provide frequent pickups from Near West Side, Pilsen, Little Village, Austin, West Loop, Humboldt Park, and surrounding suburbs including Oak Park, Berwyn, Cicero, and Maywood. These are among our most common pickup areas for Rush patients. We serve the entire Chicagoland area for trips to Rush, including the South Suburbs where our Olympia Fields headquarters is located.
Call (708) 505-6994 and request stretcher transportation. Provide the patient name, Rush room number, expected discharge time, and a Physician Certification Statement if using insurance. Our stretcher vehicles are equipped with Broda Traversa stretcher systems and a two-person crew. The crew coordinates with Rush nursing staff for safe patient transfer. The Harrison Street entrance provides ground-level ramp access for stretcher loading.
Yes. Hospital-to-facility transfers from Rush are one of our most common trip types. We transport patients from Rush to skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care homes throughout the Chicagoland area. Our drivers coordinate with staff at both Rush and the receiving facility for seamless handoff. We accommodate ambulatory, wheelchair, stretcher, and bariatric patients for facility transfers.
We pick up from every neighborhood in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. The most common pickup areas for Rush patients include Near West Side, Pilsen, Little Village, Austin, West Loop, Humboldt Park, Oak Park, Berwyn, Cicero, and Maywood. We also serve patients from the South Side, South Suburbs, North Side, and Northwest Suburbs for scheduled appointments at Rush.
Private pay patients can often book same-day or next-day. We recommend 24 to 48 hours advance notice for your preferred time and vehicle type. For Medicaid-covered rides, your MCO typically requires 48 to 72 hours advance notice through the broker. For recurring visits like chemotherapy, rehabilitation, or specialist follow-ups, we create standing orders so no further booking action is needed after the initial setup.
Schedule online in minutes or call us 24/7. Ambulatory, wheelchair, bariatric, and stretcher transportation available.