WESTLOCK – Since 2017, STARS Air Ambulance has flown 103 missions to locales in Westlock County, including seven hospital transfers and two flights to the Jarvie and Neerlandia areas up to May 31 of this year.
Those were just some of the stats included during a 20-minute presentation by STARS senior municipal relations liaison Glenda Farnden to Westlock County councillors at their June 21 governance and priorities meeting. Farnden, who noted two further local STARS calls in the month of June alone, also presented councillors with a framed photo thanking the municipality for its $10,000 contribution to the service in 2022 — the county has contributed to STARS since 2000. Interim CAO Pat Vincent noted that from 2019 to 2021, Westlock County contributed $1 per capita to STARS, which equates to $7,220 annually.
“Thanks for continuing to recognize STARS in your annual budget each year. You provide sustainable funding and funding we can rely on. On behalf of our very important patients, we thank you. A life is saved every day and it’s because of partnerships that is possible,” said Farnden, noting she will be asking the county to contribute $2 per capita in 2023.
“We’ve always been built by the community for the community. We’ve always been a charitable organization and we will remain one as we will always be open to anyone who needs the service.”
Over the past five years, critical inter-facility transfers from the Westlock Healthcare Centre top the stats with 66 recorded. Farnden said the majority of rural calls originate with a patient being taken by ground ambulance to a hospital and then STARS is requested to “get them to a higher level of care.”
“And emergencies don’t always happen close to home, so your residents can take comfort in knowing they have access to STARS, whether it’s in their daily travels or whether they happen to be travelling across western Canada,” she said.
Farnden said that throughout the pandemic, one in five missions they flew were COVID-19 related. She noted they fly 10 missions a day spread across the six bases in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba — the emergency link centre, based in Calgary, received 36,000 emergency requests in 2021.
“STARS is obviously a wonderful thing and it saves lives,” said Coun. Sherri Provencal.
Farnden said the pandemic has impacted the organization’s revenue streams and “forced us to think outside the box and be pro-active.” STARS, which began in 1985 and has flown more than 50,000 missions, is a non-profit charitable organization, while the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation (STARS Foundation) is the fundraising arm — 80 per cent of the group’s revenue comes via fundraising.
Funding needs are met through private donations received from individuals, service groups, businesses, corporations and affiliation agreements with provincial and municipal governments, which pitch in $2 million.
Farnden said most urban municipalities contribute $2 per capita to STARS, while rural municipal funding ranges from $2 to $90 per capita, while many, like the county “have moved to a fixed rate.” STARS also holds lotteries in Alberta and Saskatchewan, which are the “single largest funding source” for the organization.
Farnden said Alberta Health Services has announced it is increasing operational funding to STARS to $15 million, about half its operational costs and brings it in line with funding from the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments.
“But it’s not confirmed when this increased operational support will happen and now we’re also possibly facing a change in government,” she said. “So, we continue to rely on funding partners like you.”
Finally, Farnden talked about the $138-million fleet replacement program, with two of the new nine Airbus H145 helicopters arriving the day of her presentation.
“Today at 3 p.m. is our final welcoming event at the Edmonton base and we will be celebrating the completion of the nine new helicopters. The pilot training should also be completed this month as we faced a lot of delays due to COVID as the only place that the pilots could be trained was in Texas,” she added.
