Hope Air lands in Regina June 26th to raise awareness for charity's medical travel support programs for Saskatchewan residents
Charity provides free airline, hotel, meals and airport transportation programs for patients in financial need who must travel long distance to reach non-emergent health care
Hope Air announced today that its “Give Hope Wings” volunteer pilot expedition, will land in Regina on June26th to showcase its patient support programs in the province. “Give Hope Wings” is comprised of volunteer pilots who support the mission of Hope Air, with the goals of raising awareness and donations for the Charity. This year’s event will be hosted at the Regina Flying Club on June 26th, and will feature Hope Air patients, volunteers and staff.
This Hope Air event will also include remarks from the Minister of Health, the Honourable Everett Hindley. Hope Air services to residents of Saskatchewan are supported through an annual grant from the province.
In 2023, Hope Air facilitated over 222 travel arrangements for residents of Saskatchewan, providing free air and ground transportation, accommodations, and meals to ensure patients could reach vital medical care far from home.
Hope Air assists patients traveling for diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of health conditions recognized by the province, including cardiac, cancer, respiratory, mental health, diabetes, and various pediatric medical issues.
“Hope Air ensures that every resident can connect to the healthcare they need, regardless of distance or financial means,” said Mark Rubinstein, Chief Hope Officer. “Our programs eliminate barriers to healthcare access by providing flights, accommodation, meals and ground transportation. We celebrate the commitment of the Province of Saskatchewan and private donors to provide funding for programs that deliver equitable access to health care.”
“Saskatchewan is a vast province, and we know that for people in our rural and remote communities, distance and cost can sometimes be barriers to getting the care they need,” said Saskatchewan Minister of Health Everett Hindley. “Our government appreciates the dedicated work of Hope Air to assist individuals with travel to and from medical facilities and appointments for nearly four decades.”
Backgrounder:
This Hope Air event will also include remarks from the Minister of Health, the Honourable Everett Hindley. Hope Air services to residents of Saskatchewan are supported through an annual grant from the province.
In 2023, Hope Air facilitated over 222 travel arrangements for residents of Saskatchewan, providing free air and ground transportation, accommodations, and meals to ensure patients could reach vital medical care far from home.
Hope Air assists patients traveling for diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of health conditions recognized by the province, including cardiac, cancer, respiratory, mental health, diabetes, and various pediatric medical issues.
“Hope Air ensures that every resident can connect to the healthcare they need, regardless of distance or financial means,” said Mark Rubinstein, Chief Hope Officer. “Our programs eliminate barriers to healthcare access by providing flights, accommodation, meals and ground transportation. We celebrate the commitment of the Province of Saskatchewan and private donors to provide funding for programs that deliver equitable access to health care.”
“Saskatchewan is a vast province, and we know that for people in our rural and remote communities, distance and cost can sometimes be barriers to getting the care they need,” said Saskatchewan Minister of Health Everett Hindley. “Our government appreciates the dedicated work of Hope Air to assist individuals with travel to and from medical facilities and appointments for nearly four decades.”
Backgrounder:
- In 2023, Hope Air medical access programs supported 378 travel arrangements for Saskatchewan patients.
- Hope Air supports patients for all health conditions recognized by the Province, including cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes, transplants, respiratory and a wide range of pediatric medical conditions.
- 25% of Hope Air’s patients are children.
- Hope Air supports patients in demonstrated financial need who require support to travel long distance for medical diagnosis and treatment.
- Equitable access to health care is directly related to life expectancy. Individuals who experience significant challenges in accessing health care are more likely to delay seeking treatment, worsening their health outcomes. Delays in accessing treatment are associated with significantly worse survival rates and shorter life expectancies than others in the province.
- The expenses that would otherwise be paid by a patient to travel for medical care, requiring treatment or surgery for cancer, cardiac, organ transplant, orthopedic and other conditions can be substantive. Hope Air programs are provided free of charge to Saskatchewan residents.
- Hope Air travel programs are provided through commercial airline service such as WestJet, Air Canada & Porter Airlines. This is supplemented through the Hope Air volunteer pilot program comprised of certified pilots flying small aircraft into remote areas of the province.
- For 2024, Give Hope Wings will be launching three expeditions focused on Western Canada, Prairies, and Eastern Canada. Participants will fly along with their fleet, stopping in large city centre airports and other destinations. Give Hope Wings aims to raise funds and awareness for Hope Air.
For More Information:
Jodi Lumsden
Director of Marketing & Communications
(647)688-5634
jlumsden@hopeair.ca