Appeal launched to help get air ambulance service off the ground
‘PEOPLE ARE DYING UNNECESSARILY DUE TO THE TIME IT TAKES TO RECEIVE CRITICAL CARE - THIS WILL SAVE LIVES’
THE sight of an air ambulance hovering over towns in Cork is set to become a common sight over the coming months as part of a drive to raise funds for a new and potentially lifesaving airborne emergency service.
Based at Cork Airport the planned Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA), the first of its kind in Ireland, will service the more than one million people living in Munster.
The co-founder of the initiative, John Kearney, has urged the people of the province to lend their support to a drive to raise an initial €1 million to get the service off the ground.
Mr Kearney, the pioneer behind the groundbased West Cork Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR) initiative, said the service would mirror successful models in the UK and other countries where challenging terrain warrants the need for an air ambulance.
“People are dying unnecessarily due to the time it takes to receive critical care. This service will offer a mobile intensive care unit that will allow for the fast and safe transport of patients to a major hospital - saving time and lives,” said Mr Kearney.
He said the service would be based on the existing West Cork ICRR, which has been in existence sine 2009 and uses volunteer doctors for pre-hospital emergencies.
“There are currently five level-5 clinicians and more than 100 GP’s with the Rapid Response Service which has improved care and saved countless lives over the past seven-years,” said Mr Kearney.
“The launch of a community based air ambulance service is the next step to bringing better response times, with permanently on-duty doctors that have the ability to bring advanced skills to acutely ill and injured people throughout its catchment area.”
The ICAA will compliment the existing emergency services and the Athlone-based Emergency Aeromedical Service operated by the National Ambulance Service in partnership with the Irish Air Corps.
“It has been proved that early access to worldclass critical care and pre-hospital emergency medicine administered by trained, experienced and equipped medical personal can save lives,” said Mr Kearney.
“The air ambulance service will offer ‘gold-standard’ care commencing at the roadside and continuing while on route to definitive care in hospital,” he added.
However, this care will come at a cost of an initial €1 million to launch the service next spring and €2 million per-annum to keep it operational thereafter.
“This is a huge ask but in our view is achievable. Communities in Cork have sustained our land-based rapid response doctors, now we are calling on the people of Munster to support an air ambulance,” said Mr Kearney.
“Just €2 per-person, per-year on our province will do it,” he added.
The air ambulance will be visiting every town in Munster over the coming six-months to raise awareness of the service and to raise funds for its cost.
People can also donate online or pledge to hosts fundraising events at www.communityairambulance.ie.
Members of the public can also donate €4 by texting “FLIGHT” to 50300.