Grant Will Expand Medical Air Transport Services Throughout VA

Angel Flight of Virginia, a non-profit charitable air medical transportation organization serving needy people and their families, will expand its outreach to rural communities throughout Virginia. The program plans to increase its pilot and volunteer recruitment in order to improve its social service case work throughout rural Virginia.

"Every day, Angel Flight of Virginia upholds its mission of ensuring that financially-needy patients have access to distant specialized medical care through air transport," said Jim Smith, Executive Director, Angel Flight Mid- Atlantic. "We hope to reach many people with life-threatening medical situations, especially those who live in rural communities. We also hope to expand our network of volunteer pilots statewide."

By providing free life-saving long-distance air transportation to specialized medical facilities, Angel Flight can help restore persons with rare diseases or with chronic or life-threatening illnesses to normal life in the family and community.

"Angel Flight has changed my life," says Steve Craven, a volunteer pilot and Virginia board member who has flown for Angel Flight for 10 years. "There is nothing more gratifying than restoring hope to patients who before had no access to the medical care they needed."

The expansion of Angel Flight of Virginia's services is made possible through a 12-month "Mini" Compassion Capital Fund grant of $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. One hundred percent of funds will be devoted to the project.

In Fiscal Year 2006, Angel Flight of Virginia had 311 volunteer pilots who completed 565 missions serving 900 passengers. The public benefit was $447,711.

Angel Flight of Virginia is part of Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, a 10-state region that coordinates travel missions of 1,000 miles or less. Angel Flight's mission is to ensure that no needy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of long distance medical air transportation.

In 2006, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic had nearly 1,500 volunteer pilots who flew 1,812 missions, with a total of 3,393 passengers and escorts flown. The public benefit was over $1.8 million.

FMI: www.angelflightmidatlantic.org