Locally-based charity resumes flights
June 25, 2020
Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic resumes flights following COVID-19 grounding
This week, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, a program of Mercy Medical Angels, the world’s largest medical transportation charity, returns to the air.
COVID-19 temporarily grounded the Virginia Beach-based charity’s squadron of 550+ volunteer pilots because most of their airplanes’ cockpits are too small for social distancing.
But this week, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic flyers are once again providing free transportation to life-changing medical care in their privately-owned airplanes.
This week, a pilot from Fredericksburg, VA flew a patient with PEComa from Frederick, MD to an appointment in Boston in his Beechcraft Baron. Another pilot from Hummelstown, PA
flew a young boy with a rare type of cancer from Kalamazoo, MI to his doctors in New York City.
“Our pilots were so anxious to get back in the air and to flying patients,” said Gretchen Devine, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic’s transportation coordinator.
Although the volunteer pilots were grounded, during the shutdown Mercy Medical Angels continued to provide free air and ground transportation to patients in need by providing gas cards,
bus and train tickets and commercial airline flights. Pilots were standing by to deliver blood, plasma and vital supplies. And last month, the charity tweaked its mission to fly a doctor to a
10-month-old infant awaiting neurosurgery after commercial airlines kept canceling and rescheduling flights.
Starting this week, volunteer pilots begin operations under the organization’s new COVID-19 safety guidelines, based on CDC guidance, to keep both pilots and patients safe during travel.
The return to volunteer pilot operations couldn’t come too soon.
“We are already seeing an increase in transportation requests as patients’ doctor appointments are rescheduled,” Devine said. “We are in the early stages, but we expect for demand to grow
exponentially as healthcare facilities across the country reopen.”
For 48 years, Mercy Medical Angels has been removing the barrier to medical care with free transportation for those in need. This year more than 22,000 trips will be provided for cancer patients,
children, Veterans and their families.
To find out more, visit https://www.mercymedical.org. Or contact us to find a local patient or pilot for a story. We have much to share.
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Contact:
Robb E. Alpaugh
President and CEO
757-318-9174
ext.286
Gretchen Devine
Transportation Coordinator
757-318-9174, ext. 205
gretchen.devine@mercymedical.org
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