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Mesothelioma Patients Eligible for Air Transportation to Access Medical Specialists

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

by Nancy Meredith
Mesothelioma patients know that the best treatment they can receive is offered at cancer centers that have a mesothelioma program staffed with physicians and medical teams that specialize in the treatment of their disease. Many times patients find that while the treatment required is available, the hospital or facility can be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The cost of getting to the facility can be prohibitive for many of the patients leaving them with no alternatives to their treatments.

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of pilots, volunteers, and numerous charity organizations patients can receive free or reduced air travel for medical treatment. Angel Flight, Corporate Angel Network, and Pilots for Patients are just several of the organizations comprised of pilots that donate their time, their planes, and their financial resources to provide air transportation for those who are financially needy or are too sick to travel on public transportation.

History of Volunteer Medical Air Travel
Angel Flight is one of the original charitable flying organizations, formed by Jim Shafer, a medical professional, in 1983 with 15 of his pilot friends. In the mid-1980's various other organizations were formed offering one to two flights per week to patients in need of medical care that was otherwise out of reach for them. Angel Flight maintained this trend averaging 200 flights per year through 1999. Since 2000 the number of flights has risen exponentially with over 2,000 flights now offered by Angel Flight every year.

As the number of organizations and flights increased, so too did the need for coordination and support for the flights and the patients. Air Care Alliance (ACA) was formed in 1990 out of 19 flight organizations. Today there are over 60 humanitarian flying organization members of ACA whose pilots are dedicated to ensuring the transport of the sick and their family. Each of the participating organizations operates solely through donations.

Network of Support
Many of the flying organizations are geographically based making finding the appropriate organization to meet the needs of the patient difficult. With the assistance of ACA, the Air Charity Network (ACN), Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA), the National Patient Travel Center (NPTC) and many medical facilities, patients can often make one call to get the support requested and find the best charitable flight organization for them.

The requirements for each of the organizations vary, but most of them request the following of the patient:

• The patient is ambulatory or has some mobility.
  
• The patient is medically stable and able to fly in an unpressurized plane.
  
• The patient or family has financial need or is unable to afford other means of commercial transportation.
  
• There is no other suitable or appropriate transportation available.
  
• The patient has received a medical diagnosis that requires treatment at a hospital specializing in that disease or ailment.

The requesting patient will typically be screened by the oversight organization to determine the suitable transportation. Some of the flying services, such as Corporate Angel Network, transport only cancer patients to approved cancer centers. Often the service includes pick up and transportation to the aircraft as well as transportation at the destination. There is no charge for the referral service.

A New Chance at Life
Many patients have been given a new chance at life through the generosity of the charitable flying organizations. Able to receive specialized treatment at hospitals and medical facilities far from home, mesothelioma patients, and other severely ill patients do not have to turn away from advanced care. The abundance of testimonials and thank you notes sent to the organizations prove that angels do exist.

Labels: Featured Story

posted by Nancy Meredith at 3:13 PM
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