January 2009 newsletter Grande Prairie Edmonton Calgary

flyerThank you to all who had a hand in this, said Sarah. You should all be truly proud of the event and what we achieved in this economic climate. Highlights of the night included the wonderful performance by the popular country band Emerson Drive, the largest silent auction ever, with 170 items up for bids, and a special guest appearance by aboriginal entertainer Dallas Arcand. Sarah said that having the helicopter in the Roundup Centre, as well as the motor home and the ight simulator also added to the events success. Special guests at the Gala included Alberta Health and Wellness Minister Ron Liepert, Saskatchewan Minister of Health Don McMorris, and Saskatchewan Minister of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing Darryl Hickie. Also in attendance were the Calgary Stampede Royal Trio and the Indian princess. A total of more than 1,000 guests attended this years Gala in addition to about 70 volunteers.

Emerson Drive shines at 15th annual PSAC Gala

A few of the STARS ladies in attendance at the STARS & SPURS Gala on January 24 had the opportunity to have their photo taken with the band, Emerson Drive. The STARS Gala girls included: Leanne Rekiel, Natalie Coxford, Anna April, Mary Lou Herbster, Angela Kelter, Dawn Charest, Shirley Gisi and Lamya Cattoni. About 35 STARS personnel attended the 15th annual STARS & SPURS Gala, presented by the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Roundup Centre in Calgary. Event organizer Sarah Hughes extended a huge thank you to all who either attended as a guest or volunteered at the successful event that raised $327,000 at last count!

25th Anniversary Committee gets up and runningThe historic silver anniversary is less than a year away for STARS, and a 25th Anniversary Committee has been formed to make way for the upcoming festivities! Committee members from Grande Prairie, Edmonton and Calgary attended the inaugural meeting in January with many ideas put forth on ways to celebrate the occasion. One of the rst projects is coming up with a 25th Anniversary tag line for branding purposes. As the Communications department is looking at enhancing the existing STARS brand, there will be an opportunity to develop a 25th Anniversary logo. Your input is welcome and encouraged! If you have an idea for a tagline to accompany the logo, please email your suggestions to Leanne Rekiel in the Communications department at lrekiel@stars.ca For example, the tagline for the 20th anniversary was 20 years of care in the air. The actual anniversary date is December 1, 2010 so we have a whole year of festivities to come! The steering committee consists of: Dana Medhurst, Deb Bowers, Andrea Callaghan, Linda Chmielewski, Lynn Talbot, Pat Jeery, Lorrie Kummer, Dawn Charest, Linda Powell, Paul Rwankole, Bart Goemans and Leanne Rekiel.Page 1

Pat Jeery only works for the best!Pat Jeery had the thrilling opportunity to attend the Order of Canada investiture ceremony in Ottawa, December 12. Pat, who used to y medevacs in the high arctic, was invited to witness her former boss Pat O'Connor receive the Order of Canada. As owner and operator of Medight, OConnor has provided medevac services for the NWT and Nunavut for nearly 25 years. A truly amazing woman, next month's Readers Digest will carry a story about Pat's career, said Pat. Being in Rideau Hall was truly a once in a life time event. I have never felt more proud to be Canadian. The varied accomplishments of the people receiving the OOC was absolutely amazing. Pat said the ceremony featured everyone from Preston Manning and Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Major to Walter Gretzky and Paul Shaer (of the Tonight Show with David Letterman). I am honoured that both my employers: Dr. Greg Powell and Pat O'Connor are members of this very prestigious group, concluded Pat. I only work for the very best! The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement and service in various elds of human endeavour. At the December 12 ceremony, the Governor General presented 56 Canadians with their insignia of membership. Pat Jeery poses with former boss Pat Dr. Powell received his insignia of OConnor at the Order of Canada investimembership in 2007. ture ceremony in Ottawa.

Words from the CEOs oceThis new year brings challenge, change and new opportunities. All of us, in every sector, are wondering what 2009 will bring as the economy continues to struggle. Being in the US for a few days emphasizes the impact of the nancial turmoil. Superimposed on this background is a struggling health care system, with signicant change in the governance and operational leadership structure. And yes, there are opportunities. STARS has always and remains committed to excellence, caring and doing the right thing. Lets continue to keep true to this commitment no matter what lies ahead. Over the past few months, our Human Resources & Compensation Committee has delved into the right thing to do to support our team and has committed to an annual global increase as announced earlier this week. I want to personally thank the entire team for holding steadfast to the expense reduction measures undertaken over the past few months. These measures have been successful and we have kept true to our 2008 budget despite some unexpected expenses. Ongoing scrutiny, monitoring and dialogue will be the norm. Our fundraising expectations remain optimistic, but we do know that many donors are expressing a wait and see or reduction this year situation. This re-calibration of expectation is being seen around the world in our personal lives, in our workplaces and by government. As a result, our government funding portion is not yet known beyond April 1, 2009 and meetings are being heldPage 2

with Alberta Health Services regarding next steps and identication of our key contact point. A presentation was made on November 19 to the Rotary Wing Air Ambulance Advisory Committee. The results of this Committees deliberation and recommendation to senior leadership in Alberta Health Services are not yet known. We are aware of the expectation that the overall provincial budget will be delayed, making planning on all levels dicult. Despite these challenges, our current programs continue. The STARS Critical Care & Transport Medicine Academy is proceeding beyond expectation. The AW139 timeline is becoming clearer week by week. Many other initiatives are proceeding, some possibly with amended timelines. We are not immune to the worldwide circumstances. Please work together to oer suggestions and solutions to current challenges and opportunities. Stay committed to the patient and why we are here. This situation will pass. We have worked hard to position ourselves for the upcoming year. The STARS Lottery is again proving there is tremendous support for STARS. The recent STARS & SPURS Gala was a strong success, with 1,000 attendees and a net of approximately $327,000! The Calendar Campaign, through some innovative re-engineering of the sales model, will net considerably more than in the past few years. These are truly impressive results. No one person is aware of all the changes that are evolving. As always, please contact me and dialogue frequently and openly about new information you receive as the health system changes evolve. Greg Powell, President and CEO

STARS Lottery launches across AlbertaWhat an exciting and rewarding way to launch the 2009 STARS Lottery. More than 60 volunteers, contractors and subcontractors, representatives from the media, STARS personnel and Board members attended the 16th annual Lottery Launch The Edmonton STARS team at the Edat the show monton launch: Tom Miles, Lucille de Beauhome. drap, Grant Wudel, Kathy Bartlett, Andre Bob Nor- Rioux, Corinne Edwards, Jon Gogan, Scott mand, Chair- Young and Brenda Barr. man of the Board of Directors for the STARS Foundation, welcomed everyone and explained the history and signicance of the funds raised. Janice Rennie, Director and Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee also attended the launch. Bill Werny, Vice President of Operations, gave an overview of how STARS is moving forward to meet the challenges of the future and an update on the AW 139. Rick Hinteregger, President of Concept Homes, and Dave Hinteregger, Construction Manager for Concept Homes, both expressed their appreciation for having the opportunity to work with STARS in building this lottery show home. STARS VIP John Neufeld, a framer by profession, attended the launch on behalf of Stewart Contracting. Stewart Contracting framed the show home for Concept Homes. Joan Black, President of Black Fund Development Inc. gave the history of the lottery. She emphasized the importance of the funds raised and how they help STARS carry out life saving missions.

Lance Stephenson and Pat Jeery attended the Lottery launch in Calgary, posing with VIP Jim Ne in front of the house, with the early bird Mercedes prize.Photo by Ruth Lloyd, volunteer SAIT Photojournalism student

With the early bird prize Mercedes in the driveway of the Calgary show home, the excitement was evident during the launch of the 2009 STARS Lottery, January 21. The beautiful Cardel-built home was packed with special guests, STARS personnel, volunteers and media during the event that launched the 16th STARS Lottery. Bart Goemans emceed the event, with speakers including Dr. Greg Powell, Phil Levson, STARS Board Chairman Al Buchignani, Mike Selinger of Cardel Homes and VIP Jim Ne. Dr. Powell thanked Albertans for the ongoing support of the Lottery and provided an update on the AW139. Jim Ne talked about his accident less than a year ago when he was hang gliding near Vulcan and fell about 60 metres when his equipment failed. After being coined a STARS VIP, Jim came up with his own acronym to depict STARS: Saviours That Air Rescue Stat. Jim planned on purchasing lottery tickets after his speech and hopes to win the show home! Meanwhile, Maureen Sehlstrom attended the Lottery launch in Red Deer, while VIP Lori Norton spoke in Lethbridge.

Amber Badger speaks to the guests at the Grande Prairie launch.

Grande Prairie base held a successful kicko to the 16th annual STARS Lottery at Grande Prairie Mazda, a supplier for the 2009 Lottery. The audience of approximately 50 was comprised of media, local dignitaries from the City and County of Grande Prairie and STARS personnel. The crowd celebrated the launch with a luncheon and cake. Also in attendance was Grande Prairie VIP Amber Badger. Amber delivered a heartwarming presentation that brought tears to the eyes of just about everyone in the room. Amber thanked all members in the Chain of Survival for their role in her recovery from a single vehicle rollover, on her birthday this past September. Amber thanked STARS for transporting her from the Valleyview Hospital to Grande Prairie and stressed that being in a health care facility closer to family made all the dierence in her recovery. It was the best possible birthday gift I could have received!Page 3

News from THE STARS CENTREPhase 2 of the STARS Academy wraps updency at the Edmonton STARS base. Phase 3 - Transition to Practice: participants continue with their online work, while completing 36 hours of practicum with a preceptor at one of the STARS bases. Phase 4 Assessment: participants will summarize the learning and complete an assessment of their newly acquired competencies. Graduation for the 11 participants of the rst Academy will be held at the Edmonton base on March 8. There were approximately 12 participants each day. This is part of the cross base training which involved Grande Prairie, Edmonton and Calgary. Over a dozen facilitators were involved in this session as well.

STARS attends the Rural Family Medicine Conference

The STARS Academy students practice modules at the Edmonton base during the Residency Phase of the Academy.

The Residency phase of the inaugural STARS Critical Care and Transport Medicine Academy took place at the Edmonton base from January 14-18. Participants completed modules including lectures, scenarios with the human patient simulators and hands on learning in critical care fundamentals, trauma, medical emergencies, special populations, and patient assessment and triage. The week went extremely well and the participants were very positive with their comments and feedback. The Academy is a 12-week blended program, which includes online learning and a traditional face-to-face format that consists of four phases. Phase 1 - Preparation: participants worked online while they prepared for the next phase. Phase 2 Residency: a ve-day resi-

Advanced Skills Institute held in Calgary

Dr. Jared Bly and Shinnel Diachinsky respond to questions from a participant at one of the sessions in Ban.

Chad Hegge, John Muspratt and Rob Sharman practice on the new Babysim during the Advanced Skills Institute.

The January session of the Advanced Skills Institute took place in Calgary from January 26-30. The ve day event include cardiac training on the 26th, pediatrics on the 27th, survival training on the 28th, trauma on the 29th and medical on the 30th.Corinne Edwards new collie cross felt a little left out in the last Flyer after her photo was missed from her prole! She now has a name however, and Lola is a popular addition to the Edmonton base, where she often comes to visit. When shes not at work, shes at home with her friend Kitty and Corinnes two other pups.

The Calgary motor home participated in the 25th Annual Emergency Medicine For Rural Hospital Conference on January 23 and 24 in Ban. The Ban conference is for rural practitioners from all over western Canada including mainly rural physicians and nurses. STARS oers a brief introduction into simulation. Chad Hegge of Calgary, Shinnel Diachinsky of Edmonton, and Dr. Jared Bly of Grande Prairie facilitated the sessions accommodating about 20 participants. It was a great day and good exposure for our program, said Chad.

Perfect Pets

Black Tie Bingo takes on Hollywood glamThe excitement and thrill of Black Tie Bingo is once again rampant at the Grande Prairie base! In partnership with the QEII Hospital Foundation, Black Tie Bingo will take over Evergreen Park on Saturday, April 18. Celebrating ve years on the Peace Country events scene, Black Tie Bingo will take on the glitz and glamour of Hollywood as money is raised for two essential charities. Watch the STARS Flyer and your email box for details on the next must attend event! Submitted by Dale Tiedemann

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A great night at the STARS & Spurs Gala

Clockwise from left to right: Mike Potter poses with the Stampede Royals. Dr. Powell dances with STARS girls at the Gala. The $327,000 cheque presentation amidst a urry of reworks. Cam Bell and his wife Andrea volunteer to greet guests at the helicopter. Aboriginal entertainer Dallas Arcand performs.Photos by Alex Ramadan, volunteer SAIT Photojournalism student

IT Corner

Sign up now for STARS Volleyball tourney!Anyone interested in playing in a STARS volleyball tournament the weekend of March 13-15 in Fort Macleod is asked to contact Leanne Rekiel before February 5. The 7th annual mixed volleyball tournament is an annual fundraiser for STARS, organized by Mike Bourassa of Fort Macleod. The tournament almost always lls up, so the STARS team(s) must register soon in order to be guaranteed a spot. There are three divisions: Competitive, Intermediate and Recreational, and all teams are guaranteed three sets of play. The tournament accepts a total of 24 teams in the three divisions, with a cost of $325 per team of eight players. The tourney also includes beer gardens, dinner and dance at the Fort Macleod Community Hall if anyone is interested in attending. Please reply to Leanne with your preference of division.Page 5

Up and Aways - Congratulations from STARSCongratulations Brayden, Doug and Sarah Palinkas who welcomed little Zachary William into the world on January 9. Weighing in at 8 pounds and 21 inches long, Zachary and mom are both doing ne. ___________________________________________________ Congratulations to Dawn Charest who accepted the position of Coordinator, Board Governance. Dawn started with STARS over a year ago, lling a maternity coverage position. More recently, she lled the role of Executive Assistant, Vice-President, Governance & External Aairs and is now moving into this new role and opportunity. Dawn has become very engaged with the organization in many ways, being involved with the Healthy Workplace Committee and many recognition events. ___________________________________________________ In supporting the organization in managing workloads, Mary Lou Herbster will be assuming the Executive Assistant role for both Dr. Powell and Linda Powell and will work closely with Dawn in handling the requirements for the governance and executive functions. Congratulations to Mary Lou in her expanded role. ___________________________________________________ Congrats to Mark vanWerkhoven, who is the new Outreach Program Leader for the Grande Prairie base. Mark previously held the role of Education Team Leader and will continue to assist with a transition plan in fullling the Education Team Leader responsibilities until this position is lled. Mark will also continue in his role as an AMC. ___________________________________________________ Bruce Parsons was the successful candidate for the recent Calgary Nursing competition. Bruce has been an active AMC team member since 1999 and is a tremendous asset to our organization and team. Bruce is currently involved as a 0.7 FTE Air Medical Crew at the Calgary base and will now move towards a 1.0 FTE eective February 1, 2009. This move will allow Bruce to not only increase his hours as a Flight Nurse, but be more involved within his role as Clinical Resource AMC. Congratulations Bruce. ___________________________________________________ Liana Smith got the surprise of a lifetime on December 27. Liana and her partner Len had discussed getting married, and she thought she would surprise him and book a trip to Jamaica for April 2009 which included a wedding package. She booked the trip, but kept it a secret. Little did she know Len was working on something similar, and he recruited Lianas friend and STARS co-worker Dawn Charest to help with his plan. Nine days before Christmas, Len called Dawn to say he wanted to get married on December 27 in Maple Ridge, BC. Dawn helped him arrange for a minister and marriage license (by sneaking Lianas id), arrangements with her parents for owers, food, and instructed Len to pack her wedding dress, shoes, their rings, all his clothes and the baby's clothes. Then six days before Christmas, in huge snowstorms, Dawn arranged her ight with hopes that it would not be cancelled. Len picked her up at the airport the day of the wedding. They went to get his mom, get the marriage license and then nally to Liana's parents house where he got down on one knee and proposed with the marriage license. Liana was shocked and crying happy tears at such a sweet thing for him to do. When she saw Dawn, she cried even more, especially when she found out the wedding was happening at 4 p.m. that very day! When Liana returned to work a few days later, she found her desk decorated with Just Married signs, and with everyone already aware of her surprise wedding and very delighted for her. Congratulations Liana!

New faces at STARSPaul Lapointe joined THE STARS CENTRE as a Community Education Specialist. Before his time at STARS, Paul worked as a Public Education Ocer with Calgary EMS for two years and as a Paramedic for ten years. Raised in Calgary, Paul and his wife Katie just celebrated their rst wedding anniversary. The Lapointes love to travel and Paul has been fortunate to visit Europe, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the Caribbean. In his new position at STARS, Paul is looking forward to adding Taber, Hanna and Cardston to the list. Pauls adventurous side is reected in a past escapade riding a charity solo bike ride across Canada with only a couple of days of planning and no training. Although Paul feels very fortunate to be part of the STARS team, his dream job would be a mountain bike guide in Moab. Welcome to the family Paul!Page 6

Anita Richardson is a practicum student from the Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) and will be working as an Events Assistant Intern primarily on the Black Tie Bingo event for the Grande Prairie base until the end of April. Originally from Sexsmith, AB Anita is in her second year of Hospitality and Tourism at GPRC while balancing a part time job at Hallmark in addition to a hectic social life! She enjoys traveling, skiing, soccer, swimming and hanging out as much as possible with family and friends. She also has a black cat named Bageira, like the panther from the Jungle Book. Welcome Anita, and good luck with Black Tie Bingo!

STARS departuresOne of the rst ight paramedics at STARS will be profoundly missed. Lance Stephenson started his career with STARS in 1985 in Calgary and volunteered his time in this role until 1988 when he was promoted into Management with Calgary EMS. Lance went to the Middle East for several years then returned to STARS in October 1999. Over the last nine years at STARS Lance has held the position of Medical Base Manager in Calgary (the rst full time MBM for STARS), Special Projects Coordinator (co-coordinating the Kamloops and Lethbridge summer outreach tour programs - among other projects), rst formal Public Information Ocer position (establishing a proactive approach with the Alberta media), and lastly the Task Force Leader with Canada Task Force 2. All while maintaining "Air Medical Crew" status. Lance has accepted a senior position with a Vancouver Company EmerGeo and will be heading up the Middle East division as the Director - Emergency Management Services. Jen and Lance will be relocating to the capital city of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. His last day with STARS as a full time employee will be Friday, January 30, 2009. Please join in wishing Lance and his family well in their future endeavours! ___________________________________________________ Rick Chorley has been a paramedic with STARS Edmonton base since May 1992. His many accomplishments during his 16 years at STARS include an unwavering commitment to patient care and a keen interest in professional development and continuing education. We would like to thank Rick and his family...his wife Donna, children Annaelise and Brandon and his parents Ted & Joyce (who continue to be faithful volunteers) for their support, dedication and willingness to give so much of themselves for the STARS mission. ___________________________________________________ Tracey Komant began her 10 year career at STARS Edmonton base in June of 1997. Her easy going nature, warm smile, great hair (even post helmet) and clinical expertise made her a welcome addition to the team. One by one, Tracey and her husband Barry have added to their family...their children Jonah, Nolan, Chelsea and Taya help enhance their full and active life. Thank you to Tracey and her family for their commitment, enthusiasm and generous support. Although it is sad to see you go, we wish you luck and laughter in their future. ___________________________________________________ The Communications department is sad to see Amy Nielsen leave the organization as of January 30 after completing her contract. Amy's energy and enthusiasm have been instrumental in helping with many key projects over the past few months, including the STARS Flyer. Amy is moving back to Vancouver to join her boyfriend and pursue a career on the west coast! We wish her all the best in her new life! ___________________________________________________ In December, the Edmonton base said farewell to Dr. Sandy Dong and Dr. Moritz Haager. We thank them for the time and energy they dedicated to the organization during their time with STARS and wish them all the best in the future. ___________________________________________________

STARS Biggest Loser challenge winds upThe Challenge has ended Congratulations to all who participated and to those who achieved their own goals! Yeah to the nish line! Who is the Biggest Loser? Join us next Friday Feb. 6 for a closing ceremony at each base. We will have some great prizes for special accomplishments. Stay tuned for details to follow. Most notably the STARS Biggest Loser will win a full day guided y shing trip for two down the beautiful Bow River south of the city of Calgary. The oat is breathtaking and the experience will be one that cant be forgotten. A value of $650.

Thanks for a Days PayThank you to all who participated in the Days Pay Giving Opportunity. We raised $16,070.18. If your choice was to have your deduction done each pay period this started January 15, 2009. If your choice was a lump sum it will be deducted from your January 30 pay.

STARS one of top contenders for Governance awardOn February 10, STARS will be acknowledged in Toronto as one of the three top contenders in the not-for-prot category for the 2009 National Awards in Governance. Linda Powell congratulated the STARS team on the achievement of being selected and recognized for our governance practices. This years STARS submission related to risk management. In a letter from the Conference Board of Canada, STARS was applauded for our participation in the program. The leadership of organizations such as yours is a signicant element of advancing the success and eectiveness of Canadian Enterprise.Page 7

STARS Safety columnThis month we are pleased to report that STARS passed the Partners in Injury Reduction audit. This audit was conducted by our certifying partner The Continuing Care Safety Association in November 2008 and included interviews/questionnaires with 37 employees as well as observation tours. The audit noted that STARS continues to demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to safety that permeates every aspect of the organization and highlights the use of IRIS and ASN practices such as Operational Risk Planning (ORP) as well as our new employee orientation day as strengths. Some of the key reasons the audit score went from a very impressive 90 per cent to an outstanding 99 per cent this year. Thanks to all for growing our safety culture and living our motto Safety Starts with Me.

Patient reunites with crewCam Bell and JN Armstrong were pleased to meet former patient Rebecca Ibbotson when she came for a tour of the Calgary base on January 18. Cam and JN were on board the ight almost 10 years ago when Rebecca was airlifted from a tragic accident at Ghost Lake Campground by Cochrane to the Foothills Hospital. Rebecca was 15-years-old at the time of the accident that killed her father and his girlfriend. Cam and RN clearly remembered this particular accident as it looked like a tornado went through the campground. In reality, it was a truck that went o the highway and crashed into the tepee style tent the family was staying in. Sadly, the accident took place on Fathers Day that year, and Rebecca was hospitalized, unable to attend her fathers funeral. Since visiting the base, Rebecca is now interested in becoming a volunteer with STARS.

Looking for a Labrador?Valine Pope is a former patient of STARS who is using her passion in dogs to help support the organization. Valina has successfully started a dog breeding service named Starstruck Labradors where she will be donating a portion of each sale to STARS. Valina felt she had to give back to STARS after she was given a second chance at life. If you or anyone you know would like to purchase a Labrador, check out her website at: www.starstrucklabradors.com

Travel reviewsWho: Rae Fehr and family Where: Grand Mound, Washington Accommodation: Great Wolf Lodge How long: Five days Must see sights: The Howling tornado waterslide, the BIG bucket drop and the outlets at Centralia. Other Highlights: Seattle is very close and is a very good visit with tons of things to do and see. Plus, you are on the coast which is always cool for the kids. Things to avoid: Letting your kids have charging privileges on their wrist bands could get expensive. Rating: 5 Who: Natalie Coxford, spouse David and sons Clayton and Sheldon Where: Las Vegas Accommodation: Stratosphere Hotel How long: Eight days Must see sights: The Bellagio water show, Fremont Street at night, the Wynn Hotel, the Mirage, Caesars Palace. Things to avoid: The business cards oered on the strip from time share salespeople. Circus Circus on Christmas Day. Slot machines - try poker or blackjack instead. Other highlights: The New York New York rollercoaster, the view from the Stratosphere Tower, Strathosphere rides, shopping the outlet malls, Cirque de Soleil, Blue Man Group. Tips: Take the bus if you want to see the strip and to meet people. Take the Monorail if youre in a hurry. Also buy your water at Starbucks. Its only 60 cents. Recommend it: Yes, but wear comfortable shoes! Rating: 4.5

Been on a trip? Tell us about it! Its easy, just request a travel form from stars_yer@stars.ca and ll in the blanks.Page 8