(L-R) Captain pilot Josh Brewster, flight nurse Stuart Grant, flight paramedic Dave Allison, captain pilot Mike Janke. (Submitted photo/STARS/Lyle Aspinall)

By Teena Monteleone

Critical Care on the Air

STARS Ambulance keeping the fight in flight

Apr 20, 2021 | 4:00 PM

In less than 24 hours, one of STARS Air Ambulance’s most critical missions will take off; The Critical Care on the Air Radiothon fundraiser hits the airwaves at 6 a.m. tomorrow.

According to STARS, every time they are brought into a patient’s life, the air ambulance and its crew saves time. That time can make the difference between life and death.

That was the case for Bonnie Fortin. Moments after her son was born in Swift Current, her health went downhill rapidly. She awoke two days later in ICU at the Regina General Hospital to learn that she had nearly bled to death following complications from the scheduled C-section.

“I was in critical condition when STARS arrived and running out of time,” Fortin said. “Using their skills and knowledge they stabilized me en route to hospital enough that I would survive surgery. It’s amazing what these people can do in the back of a helicopter.”

“Without STARS, I would not be here.”

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STARS flew 884 missions in Saskatchewan last year alone, but their aircrafts are aging, and the fleet needs to be replaced. Each medically-equipped helicopter costs about $13 million. STARS is a non-profit organization that operates on a community-partnered model that consists of government funding, community fundraising and individual donations. The yearly operational costs of one base is $10.5 million. That’s also the amount they have to fundraise. In addition to the choppers, money raised will also go towards other equipment like cardiac monitors.

“As you can imagine, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on their fundraising efforts here in Saskatchewan. We know how critical their service is to us and also how critical the public’s donations are to them,” said Pattison Media’s program director for Prince Albert, Danny Kid. “We jumped at the chance to join our radio colleagues across the province for this two-day radiothon to help keep the fight in flight.”

The on-air special, presented by GMS Health and Travel Insurance, will run Wednesday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all Pattison Media stations in Prince Albert, Battlefords, Meadow Lake and Melfort.

Everytime the hashtag #STARScareontheair is used, Stride Management will donate $100 up to $10,000. Donations can be made by calling the Viterra Lifeline at 1-877-507-8277 (1-877-50-STARS) or click here to donate online.

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow