The Sturgis READ Club and community members joined in support of the STARS air ambulance with a barbecue luncheon at the club on September 4.
鈥淭he support was overwhelming with $1,756 raised for STARS,鈥� said Betty Lou Skogen. 鈥淚t is even more important since STARS may be utilized by everyone, that we all keep supporting the lifesaving ambulance.鈥�
The club raffled a shy baby doll made in a STARS uniform but the winner decided to donate it to STARS.
The READ club is open three days a week for socializing, cards, shuffleboard, darts, pool and board games. The club purchased a new freezer along with 60 chairs and made upgrades to the bathrooms. The project was made possible with the assistance of grants. Dancing lessons for grades 6 and 7 students and adults is scheduled to begin later this month.
In the early 1980s, studies showed about half the deaths due to trauma could have been prevented if patients had received critical care sooner, according to the STARS website. When Dr. Greg Powell lost a young mother who was being transported from a rural area to Calgary by ground ambulance, he decided something had to change. That鈥檚 when he founded STARS.
Less than half the population of Western Canada lives in major urban centres and has access to critical care within minutes. For the other half, such access is measured in hours. That can mean the difference between life and death; full recovery or permanent damage.
With STARS, those living in rural communities, working in remote areas, travelling on highways or being transported from community hospitals to major medical centres, receive the very best in critical care in helicopters staffed and outfitted as mobile intensive care units.
The more quickly a patient receives treatment, the much better his or her recovery odds. Timely treatment for strokes, heart attacks or brain injuries can save more than $1 million per patient, states the website. The economic benefits of helicopter ambulance missions are six times higher than the costs.
