SOREDI Member Mercy Flights Celebrates 75 Years of Service

In 1949, George Milligan founded Mercy Flights to answer a need for medical services in rural Southern Oregon. Being the first not-for-profit air ambulance service, it has grown to serve over 30,000 requests for medical transport each year.

Innovation runs deep in this organization, using cutting edge technologies and practices to serve this region. In 2016 Mercy Flight’s Mobile Integrated Health Care was added to bridge a gap that underserved patients were having after being discharged from the hospital. This service assists with their recovery by identifying any barriers and doing on-site visits to help prevent an additional hospital stay.

They continue to lead the way with their Mercy Flights Southern Oregon EMS Apprenticeship Program (SOEMSAP) launched to help bridge the gap of the healthcare workforce crisis. The focus is on Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics. They partner with Rogue Community College and other local emergency service providers to help students “earn while the learn”, participating while attending school.

Mercy Flights offers a Membership that anyone can be a part of for a variety of services.

Thank you and Happy Birthday to Mercy Flights for your continued innovation to our region! To read their full story (and it’s a great read!) visit their website mercyflights.com