STARS Air Ambulance Hits Close To Home For Local Drugstore Staff

Pfahl's Drugs in Winkler, together with the generosity of the community, raised over $2,000 for STARS Air Ambulance last week.

The local business held a fundraiser BBQ for the emergency service, a cause that hits close to home for organizer Tery Hyde.

"A lot of us have been personally affected by STARS, I personally had some friends who've had to use STARS and it saved their lives," he says. "They do a lot of good work in our area."

He notes Pfahl's Drugs staff look for a local initiative to support every two years with a fundraiser BBQ. He says STARS representatives were excited to take part.

"They're always looking for extra funding," Hyde says, as well as opportunities to share about the mission of STARS. "It's nice to see a face from the organization you're supporting."

STARS representatives say it's approximately 25 minutes from a ditch in Southern Manitoba to hospital in Winnipeg by helicopter, inside what emergency personnel refers to as the 'golden hour'. The time refers to the 60 minutes after a traumatic injury, during which the likelihood of survival is highest if the patient receives medical treatment.

Representative Michael Kowalson says call volume in the Pembina Valley has increased approximately 6-10 percent every year.