Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring_2018 - 21

costs associated with the flight. It's our responsibility to coordinate and
schedule these missions with the pilot. Since many of these patients
need multiple treatments, pilots will often transport the same person
multiple times. In many instances, I've seen an incredible bond
form between pilots, patients and even patient families, building
relationships that last even after our services are no longer needed.
Often times, patients and their families are concerned that requesting and receiving approval for a flight will be an arduous task. This
is simply not the case with Angel Flight East. We understand the
importance of being quick and efficient in arranging travel, especially
given the circumstances. Working with physicians, social workers
and other health care professionals who can verify a patient's medical suitability to fly and financial need, we make the entire process
relatively simple, allowing us to provide as many flights as possible
to as many patients as possible.
In 2017 alone, Angel Flight East flew 131
patients and family members approximately
87,304 nautical miles to their required
destinations. This included 1,338 hours of
travel during 829 scheduled flights. And
we're always looking to extend our reach
and help more people. Our goal is to get in
front of as many health care professionals as
possible, considering most of the requests
we receive for flights come directly from
physicians and social workers acting on
behalf of their patients. To achieve this
goal, Angel Flight East has begun a new
program, "Rural and Rare Reach."

The Rural and Rare Reach program aims to broaden access to
available high-level medical care for rural patients, persons with
cancer or rare diseases and children with serious congenital conditions. This program will allow us to execute outreach to underserved
populations by focusing on healthcare organizations in regions
with less access to specialist care, specifically rural communities
in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio. Our goal is to
disseminate information throughout these organizations to increase
our reach and to provide more information on the services Angel
Flight East provides.
It's important people who know our story tell it to others so we
can continue to build on this new program and educate people on
our mission. For those just learning about compassion flight organizations such as Angel Flight East, you now have a new resource
available. For physicians who have or know a patient who lacks the
financial ability to travel for medical care,
compassion flight organizations can make
all the difference in the world.
Ellen Williams is the executive director of Angel Flight East, a 501(C)(3)
nonprofit organization based in Blue
Bell, Pennsylvania. Angel Flight East is
dedicated to serving the community
by facilitating free air transportation
for children and adults with medical conditions who need to get to
treatment far from home. For more
information, please contact Ellen at
ewilliams@angelflighteast.org or call
215-358-1900.

SPRING 2018

Berks County Medical Society Medical Record Spring_2018

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