KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
SUPPORT LOCAL
By Al Stevens
Mercy Jets Helps Transport Sick and Injured
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magine being on vacation seriously injured and then confined to a hospital bed hundreds of miles from home. What would you do? How would you get home safely? One Valley man, troubled by that thought, set out to do something about it. John Bohn, a pilot and former emergency medical technician (EMT), believed there had to be a better way to transport patients and their loved ones home safely. Bohn also wanted to focus on the care of the patient from hospital room to hospital room. “When a loved one is injured, it’s not only a stressful time for family and friends, but too often a confusing one as well,” says Bohn. “Everyone wants the best possible care for their loved one, but when you’re trying to focus on their care and medical treatment, the last thing you want to worry about is getting them home safely.” Bohn set out to form Mercy Jets, an air ambulance company based in Phoenix that helps transport injured and seriously ill patients. Mercy Jets has coordinated medical transports on every continent, except Antarctica. “I wanted to make a difference in people's lives,” says Bohn. “I’ve always been the one who ran first to the scene of an accident just to see if I could be of some help. Combining my medical history and my professional experience as a pilot seemed like a natural way to help others.” Today, Mercy Jets is concerned with making sure patients, who are in need of help, find the compassion and quality medical care they deserve. Mercy Jets calls such medical attention “complete continuity of care.”
“It’s really about providing the safest air ambulance transportation in the industry and doing it while providing top-notch care every step of the way,” replies Bohn. “It’s incredibly important to us that a patient’s medical care is as seamless as possible. We put a patient’s health and safety ahead of all other business goals.” Recently, the company transported accident victim Skylar Fox and his family on a roundtrip medical flight to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., so the younger Fox could receive medical treatment. Fox, a high school senior, had suffered serious injuries when his dirt bike went off the road and struck a shed. In the days and weeks after the accident, family and friends rallied around the Fox family, holding fundraising efforts to help support the growing pile of medical bills. More than
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June 2013 | azhealthandliving.com