When You Need Wings… Call On An Angel!

Medical communities know all too well the extent of changes in our system of health care. The trend towards specialized medicine has made the “one hospital for all needs” concept obsolete. Even with the internationally known doctors and facilities here in Birmingham, it is not unusual for individuals to have to travel hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles to access medical care for a specific condition. Insurance pays for the cost of treatment, but rarely will it cover transportation expenses. The best health care in the world is of little value if you can’t get to it. There is help for Alabama’s families.

Angel Flight is a national, nonprofit organization made up of volunteer pilots who donate their time, aircraft and fuel to provide free air transportation for people seeking medical or compassionate care. The Greater Birmingham Chapter of Angel Flight is the local presence for Angel Flight Southeast (AFSE) which covers a five state area including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.

There are over 500 pilots on the roster statewide flying missions for Angel Flight. Passengers include people in need of care at a distant medical facility, and those involved in clinical trials or research programs requiring repeated visits. Flights also can be arranged for organ donors or recipients. Additionally, Angel Flight pilots transport people for compassionate reasons such as needing to care for an ill relative or last wish requests. Because love of flying and love of humanity are intertwined, Angel Flight pilots bear one hundred percent of all fuel and maintenance expenses for their own aircraft.

To qualify for an Angel Flight, patients must be medically stable. There are no medical personnel on board, and most of the aircraft have only 4 to 6 seats with non-pressurized cabins. Passengers have to be ambulatory, able to sit upright and fasten a seat belt. Finally, there should be a financial need for the service. There is no strict screening process, therefore Angel Flight personnel rely on the attending physician and social workers to verify the need. Local representatives recently made presentations to groups at UAB including the bone marrow transplant unit. As a result, several patients have been able to fly in and out of Birmingham courtesy of an Angel Flight.

The mission of Angel Flight is to remove transportation as an obstacle to receiving medical or compassionate care. Any pilot will tell you they’d rather be in the air than on the ground. Given their love of flying, the opportunity to fly for the benefit of people in need creates the perfect marriage of passion and compassion, which is at the heart of Angel Flight.

To schedule a speaking engagement or receive more information, contact local Angel Flight Hospital Coordinator Todd Davis at 913-5754. To schedule an Angel Flight, call the mission hotline 1-800-352-4256.

For more information click here ..... The Angel Flight Website