STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) is top of mind for the Town of Vermilion following a delegation to council.
Shannon Paquette, donor relations and development officer with STARS, presented to council seeking funding.
Read more: STARS provides fire department training
The request was for $8,000 based on $2 per capita.
Paquette says this year in particular marks an important milestone for the company.
“STARS is celebrating 40 years this year,” she said. “We’re very proud of that. It’s 40 years of being there for Albertans in their worst moments.”
The funding STARS receives comes from municipalities but also other avenues.
“STARS gains its funding through various channels,” said Paquette. “Last year, we were fortunate to sign a 10-year agreement with the Alberta government for $15 million block funding per year.”
Even with the government funding, it leaves a hole in the company’s needs.
“After the government’s contributions, we still have to fundraise 56 per cent of our operational costs,” she said.
STARS receives funding from long-standing community fundraising events, corporate donors, individual donors, municipalities and their lottery.
“We have one of the most respected lotteries in Canada,” said Paquette. “It’s been running for more than 30 years and nets around $11 million per year.”
The $11 million lottery net is nearly the cost of operating one of their bases. They have $34.2 million in direct operating costs.
STARS sees large support from municipalities with 95 per cent of Alberta municipalities being STARS partners. On the other hand, 75 per cent of regional leaders are STARS partners, including the County of Vermilion River.
“These counties and municipal districts support STARS at a minimum of $2 per capita, up to $90 per capita on a fixed rate,” said Paquette.
She gave the town an insight into how many missions are going on around them.
“Your county averages around 12 missions per year that STARS responds to,” said Paquette.
The assistance STARS give is not only physical but also virtual.
“An example of that would be if STARS was dispatched to your local hospital,” said Paquette.
“STARS assists with rural hospitals by providing not only on-site physical support, but we also provide virtual support,” she said. “While the helicopter is on its way, our transport physician would be at our emergency link centre providing virtual guidance to the staff at the hospital.”
The virtual support speeds up the whole process for the patient.
“Once we have the patient and we’re on route, they can provide that same information to the receiving hospital and we can bypass the ER (emergency room) and go directly into the OR (operating room),” said Paquette.
“That saves precious moments on both ends of the mission as well.”
In total, 95 county residents have been flown since 2010. STARS not only provides the vital service but also innovates in its life-saving methods.
“STARS was the first to carry blood on board,” said Paquette. “Now, we can administer fibrinogen.”
Fibrinogen promotes blood clots to form.
Deputy Mayor Joshua Rayment says the service provided by STARS is invaluable.
“I just like to say they’re such an important value in STARS and they provide such an important service. As someone who’s needed their service at one point in my life, I feel it’s invaluable,” said Rayment.
He said they’d take the information provided and bring it forward to the next budget season for decision.
Read more: STARS: Saving lives in Western Canada
