Mike Perry Receives DAISY Award - A non-profit helicopter emergency medical service for south Texas.

Today, HALO-Flight’s Flight Nurse, Mike Perry, was recognized for his work at Christus Spohn Hospital- Shoreline, and was honored with the DAISY Award. Award recipients are chosen for offering a remarkable patient experience, consistently demonstrate excellence in their clinical expertise, extraordinary patient care, and recognized as an outstanding role model in nursing community!

About the DAISY Award:

The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and  celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day. It was established by the DAISY Foundation – an organization for the elimination of diseases attacking the immune system – in memory of J. Patrick Barnes. Barnes’ parents established the foundation in their son’s memory because they had experienced firsthand the skills and compassionate care of many nurses. The award is given quarterly to outstanding nurses across the country. To find out more about the program, including the growing list of Hospital Partners, please go to www.DAISYfoundation.org.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas- HALO-Flight EMS Training Academy is excited to announce that the will begin their next Basic EMT course to begin on January 12th, 2015 and will end in June 2015!

Classes will be from 6:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings, located at 100 S. Stadium (Alice Public Safety Facility) in Alice. There will be some Saturday labs from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. during the course, at appropriate intervals. The course length is approximately six months.

If you are interested in registering for the course or if you have questions or require additional information, please go to the website at www.haloflight.org or contact Wendy Greer, Academy Coordinator, at (361) 265.0509 or email wendyg@haloflight.org!

Last week, one of our flight crews was able to meet a former patient- Kevin Scully. He presented both medical crew members with a plaque for his gratitude and support of HALO-Flight (as pictured above). He also submitted his story below:

On the morning of July 26, 2014 I was in Falfurias, Tx. and I am an Auctioneer. I was in the middle of conducting a live auction for the Brooks Co. Constables and weather was hot, and I was on a roll like I always was. After selling near 30 vehicles, I was noticing I was breathing more heavier than normal, and felt as if my chest was starting to collapse I finally got to a point where I could not go on any further. I was calling for my team members to come to my aid. At the given time, I didn’t know if heat stroke was taking me down or if 100 plus degree”s was getting to me. I was escorted inside to the Constables office to catch some relief and lay down for a moment. Thank you to the Brooks County Constable who called for the ambulance seeing I wasn’t right. The ambulance driver came in with no haste and took one look at me and called out to their dispatch “GET HALO FLIGHT IN ROUTE”. I was lying on the floor half out of it, putting my hands into a fantastic Ambulance crew. I have heard through stories that I was starting to flat line. That is when Halo Flight arrived or should I say my angles up above was landing. Being completely out of it (lifeless) my life was in there hands. I say my life because several times during the flight I layed lifeless. That is when I finally got to speak to one of the Halo angles ( I felt a pound on my chest like I have never have experienced before and I do remember saying “DUDE WARN ME BEFORE YOU DO THAT”, and in response, I heard my Halo angle say ” Mr. Scully you’re are having a major heart attack”. That is all I remember about the flight or having any conversation with the medical personnel. With HALO-Flight’s professional personnel I live to tell this story. I will never forget this moment or the personnel with Halo Flight. They saved my life, along with quick thinking of a great Ambulance Tech. How to ever say thank you to a great team, and such a professional organization.

To conclude, working out in the country, in the middle of nowhere and a no hospital near 85-100 miles away, HALO-Flight saved my life and I am sure they have saved many lives. Again , from myself and my wife and family we all say THANK YOU to all, personnel with HALO-Flight for giving me another chance to call another Auction. YOU SAVED MY LIFE.

Kevin C. Scully Apple Auctioneering co. Houston, Tx.

We always appreciate when we hear back from community members. Please take a moment to read a testimonial we received from a former EMS Training Academy student:

Attending the HALO Flight EMT-Basic course was a personal choice I knew would require me to commit most of my off time to, but I also understood that the training could possible come in handy one day on or off duty as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. Taking the EMT course was really nothing I ever considered doing or really had any interest in doing.

Prior to the HALO Flight EMT-Basic course I had very minimal training in urgent care. My experience consisted of combat buddy aid (tourniquet application, basic first aid, very basic treatment for shock and bleeding) from military service and similar training to include infant/toddler CPR from the U.S. Border Patrol Academy.

Since completing the EMT-Basic course, I have responded to multiple rollover accidents in which the skills I learned in the course were extremely useful. Although the course is “basic”, the skills you will learn in the course will build your confidence in responding to urgent situations (one of the top reasons most of the public do not act is because they are afraid or are untrained, you shouldn’t have that problem after completing the course, if you do then you need to reevaluate your career choice).

Making a small personal sacrifice to attend this course, while still working a full time profession was absolutely worth it (50+hours a week for work and 13-14 classroom time with EMT course, in other words you most likely have no excuse, either you want the training or you do not). Since completing the course, I have responded to vehicle accidents where I was able to assist/lead and walk other Agents with little to no experience, through the process of extricating, packaging and bandaging a burn victim to prepare them for EMS transport by ground and air. Since taking the course I’ve received IV therapy and advanced airway treatment, and in my profession as a Border Patrol agent these skills are a must have. After completing the course, you’ll have the opportunity to do many other things, and continue onto to Intermediate and Paramedic.

In closing, the instruction you will receive from the HALO Flight professor (Wendy) and the staff is unmatched, recognized and well respected by local EMS services (you’ll see when you’re asked where you attended the course and who taught you). The training and instruction in this course is delivered by highly experienced and professional instructor with mountains of experience and skills. Prior to attending and completing the course I was very unaware of the kind of work EMS personnel did on a daily basis, so along with the training I received, I was educated and able to get a very small inside look of what these professionals do and made me appreciate them more so than before. This course is designed to pass but that doesn’t mean you cannot or will not fail, if you do not apply yourself. Simply put, you get what you put into it.

Richard Aucion, United States Border Patrol Agent

Since 1987, HALO-Flight has been providing emergency air medical transport to the citizens of our south Texas service area. Thousands of patients have been transported by our flight crews.

Often times, cost associated with being “HALO-Flighted” is not considered.

An air medical transport can easily exceed $15,000 and medical insurance alone does not always cover the entire cost. Typically, our patients are responsible for the remaining balance after insurance payout.

The Guardian Subscription Plan completely eliminates out-of-pocket expenses for a transport deemed medically necessary.

If a Guardian Member has insurance, HALO-Flight will file a claim with the member’s insurance company and accept that as payment in full. Members without insurance do not receive a bill. Coverage extends to all family members who live in the same household (includes dependent, custodial and non-custodial children).
In addition, HALO-Flight has formed reciprocal agreements with non-profit air ambulance services in San Antonio (AirLIFE) and Dallas (CareFlite). If a Guardian member is flown by one of these services, they would be covered under that organization’s membership plan.

On the worst day of your life, you can take comfort in knowing that your financial freedom is protected, by being a Guardian Member. For more information, give us a call at 361.265.0509 or click here to become a Guardian Member today.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas- HALO-Flight announces the purchase of three new cardiac monitors, which will further their life saving mission by allowing the HALO-Flight team to start the diagnostic process for cardiac patients before even landing at the hospital.

HALO-Flight, keeping with the today’s technologies, is now capable of letting doctors see what their patient’s hearts are doing from the scene of a cardiac event, whether that be at their home or on the side of a highway.  With the purchase of new cardiac monitors and the added capability of being able to transmit the patient’s electrocardiogram from literally anywhere, a cardiac team can now make the decision to bypass the hospital emergency room and go directly to the cardiac cath lab to open up the clotted heart vessel. This option will save precious minutes and decrease the amount of damage to the heart.

“HALO-Flight is thrilled to have added this ability to their already advanced procedures, medications and protocols in the effort to save more lives of south Texans,” said Randy Endsley, Chief Medical Officer of HALO-Flight, Inc.

HALO-Flight has immediately installed these monitors for use during flights. For more information, contact Randy Endsley at 361.265.0509.

The tournament was scheduled to take place Monday, May 5, 2014 at the NorthShore Country Club in Portland, Texas. This year’s golf tournament event was extremely successful, grossing more than $110,000, with 65 teams participating.

Net proceeds from this event will be applied to the annual expense of maintaining and operating HALO-Flight’s 3 Bell 407 helicopters. These costs make up a large percentage of HALO-Flight’s annual operating budget.

Since its inception in 1987, HALO-Flight has transported over 16,000 critical patients of accidents, heart attacks and strokes, newborns and many more who might not have had a chance to survive otherwise

The 1st Annual Casino Night fundraiser took place at the American Bank Center on Saturday, March 15, 2014.  This year’s event was extremely successful, netting over $30,000, with over 400 attendees.

The net proceeds from the Casino Night fundraiser will be applied to the purchase of our Bell 429 helicopter. This new addition will allow us transportation in weather conditions that we are currently unable to fly in, as well as potentially allowing up to two patients to be transferred at a time. This will further allow us to protect over one-million people living in the 28,000 square miles of HALO-Flight’s service area.

Since its inception in 1987, HALO-Flight has transported thousands of critical patients of accidents, heart attacks and strokes, newborns and many more who might not have had a chance to survive otherwise.  With your assistance, HALO-Flight can continue its mission of providing emergency air transportation for the people of South Texas. 

We are genuinely grateful for the amount of support we received and are eagerly anticipating 2015’s Casino Night event!

HALO-Flight is excited to announce that we have filled our line pilot position and welcome Walt Rose to our team. Mr. Rose began his career in the Army and afterward began flying for emergency air medical services, of which he has ten years’ experience. Walt holds an Associate degree in Applied Science majoring in Information Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Professional Aeronautics. He has extensive experience piloting aircraft and will be an excellent addition here at HALO-Flight!

Walt enjoys motorcycles, wood working, and yard work. And is looking forward to working with the men and women of HALO-Flight!

We just want to take a moment to highlight our Board of Directors and their efforts and to thank them for all that they do for us, for the community, and for our South Texas coverage area.

Our Board of Directors is comprised of 12 individuals that all bring their own individual perspective and expertise into our organization here at HALO-Flight, Inc. Some have served on our board since its inception and others have joined over the years to contribute and become involved for a variety of reasons. 

For instance, Mrs. Benna Timperlake is “…happy to serve our organization and to be involved with improving rapid access to health care for rural accident victims and component of overall high quality of health care in South Texas.” Others have had HALO-Flight affect them directly impact their lives by either personally being flown or through family, friends, or co-workers being transported. Some notice the need of helicopter transport for patient transfers and scene flights. Either way, our dedicated Board of Directors wants to do what they can to keep our organization operable.

HALO-Flight Board Member, Dr. Alice Mendoza, explains that she “…most importantly highlights our mission of serving everyone with or without the ability to financially afford the transportation.”

Their commitment to this organization and its mission is invaluable.  

HALO-Flight is excited to announce that we have filled our Director of Education position with Ryan Kelley. Mr. Ryan Kelley graduated from Ellison High School in Killeen, Texas in 1994 and began his service in the U.S. Marine Corps shortly thereafter as an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter Specialist. From 1998 to 2011 Ryan served the cities of Kingsville and Portland Fire Departments gaining a wide variety of experience and education in the emergency medical and fire service fields eventually serving as a Shift Captain and EMS supervisor. Over the years he has obtained his EMT-Basic, Intermediate, Licensed Paramedic certifications, and Associate’s Degree in EMS from Del Mar College. Additional certifications that Ryan holds include Certified Flight Paramedic, Critical Care EMT-P, National Registry EMT-P, and TDSHS Instructor. Ryan most enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and is also a Certified Coach and avid Crossfit athlete at Crossfit XLR8 in Portland.

“I’ve been at HALO-Flight since 2010 and am really looking forward to my changing role as Director of Education. I am excited to develop this position into a resource that will help our customers grow their knowledge, experience and provide a higher level of care to their patients and communities”, said Ryan Kelley.

EMT-Basic Course Announcement

We are scheduling an EMT-Basic course for a maximum of 25 students to begin on January 13, 2014 and will end in June 2014. Classes will be from 6:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday & Thursday evenings, located at 100 S. Stadium (Alice Public Safety Facility) in Alice. There will be some Saturday labs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. during the course, at appropriate intervals. 

The course will consist of 213 classroom hours, plus 24 hours of hospital clinical internship and at least 48 hours of precepted ambulance rotation. Prerequisite for entry is a high school diploma or GED and a minimum age of 18 by the end of the course. A criminal background check will be required of all students. A current AHA Healthcare Provider CPR is required prior to clinical internship. For students without a current CPR certificate, a course will be provided, at a cost of $45, at the beginning of the EMT course. Please be prepared to bring copies of your High School diploma or GED. Also, proof of current immunization records is required (including Hepatitis B series, Tetanus and PPD test are required prior to clinical internship). 

If you are interested in attending email, call, and/or come by the office immediately to confirm your intent and secure a position in the course. Since seating is limited and books need to be ordered before the course begins, a non-refundable deposit of $100.00 (which will be applied toward tuition) is requested upon confirmation of your intent to attend the course. The cost of the course is $900.00, which is due first night of class. All payments are non-refundable and must be paid either by money order(s) or by credit card payable to HALO-Flight EMS Training Academy. The cost will cover tuition, student insurance, textbook, supplemental materials and an Academy uniform shirt. It does not cover the criminal background check, CPR certification or personal items such as the black trousers, black leather footwear, stethoscope, scissors, penlight, or immunizations required for clinical and ambulance internship. 

To get an application or if you have questions or require additional information, please go to the website at www.haloflight.org or contact us at (361) 265-0509 or email wendyg@haloflight.org!

Thank you for your interest. 

HALO-Flight, Inc. and Del Mar College have created a unique partnership through an internship program that was created nearly two years ago, in mid-2012. Throughout this time, we have honed in and crafted the program to best help everyone involved.

It began with a conversation between HALO-Flight’s Director of Maintenance and the Director of Aviation Maintenance at Del Mar College. They determined that this was a great partnership and HALO-Flight felt that our participation in this endeavor was a great way to involve the community and to further student’s understanding and excitement for this field. This is a six month paid internship, which provides an opportunity to the intern for valuable field experience within the aviation industry.

“The knowledge and hands-on experience that the interns gain is invaluable and is a great way to keep HALO-Flight connected to such a great community.” Said Vince Vincent, HALO-Flight’s Director of Maintenance. “This internship program provides us with an additional, qualified, technician, as well as allowing the students going through DMC’s program actual experience to bring when entering the workforce after graduation.”

HALO-Flight, Inc. is so excited to announce that the Riviera Telephone Company, along with us, will be introducing an entirely new fundraising event next year…. Casino Night!

This red carpet affair will provide attendees with the opportunity to try their hand at black jack, poker, roulette, craps, and slot machines. Throughout the evening, we will provide heavy hor d’oeuvers and live entertainment in the form of the Spazmatics, ending the evening with a raffle. Whether you win or lose, all the proceeds from this event will benefit HALO-Flight.

We sincerely hope that the community will all join us in the launch of this new fundraising event! Sponsorships are currently available! If interested, contact Stephanie Knox at 361.265.0509 or stephaniek@haloflight.org.

Coastal Bend giving rose to unprecedented heights on the fifth Coastal Bend Day of Giving with support by a record number of residents for the needs of their neighbors and friends. A total of $1,254,005 was raised for 30 area non-profit organizations that provide help to the neediest in our communities. In the 24-hour online fundraising campaign, individual donations numbered over 5,300 and totaled $823,955, which is matched by a funding pool of $430,050 provided by 16 local donors and foundations.

28 of the 30 charities will receive the full amount of the matching gift fund- $14,335, and the remaining will be matched dollar for dollar with the individual donations.

This year’s Day of Giving campaign demonstrated the generosity and community-minded spirit thriving in the Coastal Bend. By all measures, the 2013 event set new precedents for giving in the area. The tone for the Day was set with an unexpected additional $30,000 donation to the match pool, made by Mrs. Nova Herin in memory of her late husband, Buddy Herin, providing an additional $1,000 in matching funds available to each nonprofit. 

In the previous four Days of Giving (2009-2012) nearly 2.6 million was raised. This single Day of Giving (2013) raised nearly 50% of that, $1.25 million to help the area’s most vulnerable populations. Funds raised through the Coastal Bend Day of Giving are designated to be spent exclusively on direct program support to maximize the benefit “on the ground” for the needy.

HALO-Flight is excited to announce that we were able to receive the 2013 match! We received $21,626.08 in donations from JustGive.org, along with matching funds of $14,448.43, totaling $36,074.51. This astonishing display of support and generosity was greatly appreciated and highly recognized. We could not do what we do without the support from community members, and the success of this 2013 campaign is truly amazing! Thank you!

How can you support HALO-Flight this Fall?

The Coastal Bend Day of Giving is a 24 hour, online opportunity to donate to local charities that assist those most at risk in our region. We are honored to have been selected to participate again in this year’s campaign. The campaign will kick off on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. Thirty charities have been selected as recipients from around the Coastal Bend. For a list of non-profits, please visit http://www.coastalbenddayofgiving.org/. At the end of the day, the Coastal Bend Day of Giving will provide a grant to match funds to each of the charities participating. The economic downturn that began in 2008 continues to impact many Coastal Bend residents and the nonprofits that serve them. Demands for services have not abated, but many nonprofits are still seeing smaller donations.

To contribute, simply log on to http://www.coastalbenddayofgiving.org/ on November 12th, complete a brief form, select your charity (or charities) using the shopping cart feature, and make a donation using your credit or debit card ($10 minimum). Giving made easy!

All donations will be applied to the annual expense of maintaining and operating our 3 Bell 407 helicopters. These costs make up more than 90% of HALO-Flight’s 3-million dollar plus operating budget. HALO-Flight’s mission is to provide medical transport for critically ill or injured persons requiring medical or trauma facilities within our South Texas service area. Emergency assistance is provided to all persons regardless of their ability to pay. For more information about HALO-Flight, please visit us at www.haloflight.org.

Thank you for your continued support and generosity!

Coastal Day of Giving History:

In the fall of 2009, Coastal Bend Community Foundation joined with eight additional funders to provide $150,000 in matching funds for a one-day, internet-based fundraising campaign, called the Coastal Bend Day of Giving. Due to the overwhelming success of the event – raising over $400,000 for 25 nonprofits – the event was repeated in 2010, raising $625,000 for 33 nonprofits and in 2011, raising $690,000 for 22. The three events, each only 24 hours in duration, have raised over $1.7 million for nonprofits at the forefront of providing services to those in need in the Coastal Bend.

We are excited to announce that our most recent fundraiser, the 2013 Una Caja Dove Shoot, presented by CITGO, was very successful! It was held Wednesday, October 16, at Laura Berry’s Lonesome Dove Ranch. We were very pleased to have such a great turnout and such a great time! We grossed over $83,000 with net proceeds helping to protect over one-million people living in the 28,000 square miles of HALO-Flight’s 26-county service area.

We had 15 teams participating, along with over 50 silent auction items, shooting games, food and drinks, and almost 90 dove shot! We had beautiful weather, great sponsors (CITGO, Riviera Telephone Company, Coastal Land Drilling, American Bank, L&F Distributors, Diamond B, Americana Arms, and Ainsworth Trucking), and many helpful volunteers. We could not have asked for more! Our only hope is that everyone returns next year and has just as good, if not better, a time as this year!

To view pictures, click here.

As a recent addition to the HALO-Flight team as Marketing Director, my field experience is still in the works…  However, earlier today marked my first experience as a passenger in one of our helicopters.

It all started with a safety brief detailing the rules and expectations for riding along. I was told that it was not out of the ordinary to get sick the first few times- thank goodness I didn’t though- and that either way, it was going to be a good time. As we lifted off, I was nervous but our pilot and the two crew members were so supportive and knowledgeable about the aircraft, that it quickly soothed any worries away. I was able to relax and joyfully take in every moment of the ride to NAS Kingsville and back.

HALO-Flight, Inc. participated in a drill earlier this morning with NAS Kingsville, which went very smoothly. We were appreciative and delighted to have been able to partner with them in this endeavor.