Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) made its first mission to the Grenfell/Broadview region on Friday.
STARS was dispatched to Broadview at 5:11 p.m. for a medical emergency on Friday, May 18.
The patient was in the care of the local hospital staff when STARS touched down at 6:08 pm. The Broadview Fire Department successfully secured a landing zone just west of the hospital for the STARS helicopter.
In this particular mission, Dr. John Hanson was on the flight and participated in the care of this patient.
The patient was stabilized at Broadview Union Hospital and flown back to Regina at 7:24 p.m., where the STARS medical team joined Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region EMS to transport the patient via ground ambulance to the Regina General Hospital.
“This was our eighth mission in Saskatchewan,” STARS Senior Public Relations Advisor Kelly Brossart said in a statement. “We’ve had tremendous support from our partners.”
On each rescue mission, the STARS helicopter is staffed with two pilots and the air medical crew including an advanced care paramedic and a critical care nurse. An emergency physician trained in pre-hospital care and transportation is also available by telephone and in some situations, will travel with the crew.
Every second counts in an emergency situation when someone is facing life-threatening issues, - Kelly Brossart, STARS senior public relations advisor
“Every second counts in an emergency situation when someone is facing life-threatening issues,” Brossart said. “We are really proud that STARS is now serving Saskatchewan so we can work with existing emergency medical services to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.”
STARS began operations in Saskatchewan only a few weeks ago, with the launch of its first Saskatchewan base in Regina on April 30. STARS began flying missions from the Regina base during daylight hours and will transition to a 24/7 operation late this summer. A second base in Saskatoon is also set to open in the fall of 2012.
STARS is a charitable, non-profit organization that provides rapid and specialized emergency medical care and transportation for critically ill and injured patients.
The Saskatchewan STARS crew consists of 20-30 medical personnel and 10 pilots which rotate daily every 12 hours, year round.
STARS has flown more than 22,000 missions across Alberta and eastern British Columbia since 1985 from bases in Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie.
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