Alberta’s government has entered into a new ten-year contract with STARS.
Katherine Emberly, President and CEO of Shock Trauma Air Rescue Services (STARS), was on hand for the announcement of the finalized deal on Tuesday at their Calgary base.
She says since their origin they now have three bases in Alberta and they are located in Calgary, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie. Emberly says “In 1985, here in Calgary, Dr. Greg Powell saw too many rural and remote patients not surviving because they couldn’t get the critical care they needed in time. So what did they do, they innovated. They asked the community for help and support. We asked health care professionals to volunteer their time and just like that STARS was born. Here we are nearly 40 years later. We’ve completed over 60,000 missions across the prairies. That’s tens of thousands of individuals and families who had access to the best care possible when they needed it the most, no matter where they were.”
Emberly points out that it is their honour to serve Albertans and they will continue to innovate as well as help shape the future of critical care in Canada for many years to come. She says “The long-term funding announced today is a lifeline to our work and to our patients. We are exceptionally grateful to be able to continue serving the Alberta community for many years to come. STARS is only one small part in the chain of survival. It is the dispatchers, emergency services on the ground, the receiving hospitals, and the many committed health care professionals across this great province who partner with us every day in delivering care and changing outcomes for people.”
According to a press release from the province, the new contract will ensure emergency medical services (EMS) remain available across the province and STARS has been instrumental in delivering fast and effective emergency medical response services to Albertans, especially those who live in rural and remote communities.