Northwoods AirLifeline provides vital service

ESCANABA - One local group might be flying under our radar, but they're flying nonetheless. Northwoods AirLifeline is always available to fly patients when they need medical attention fast.

Northwoods AirLifeline is a non-profit organization of volunteer pilots from the U.P. and northeast Wisconsin who donate their time to help patients and families with urgent medical needs for services not found locally.

Northwoods AirLifeline Board of Directors member Paul Roll of Escanaba said he worked with the Northwoods AirLifeline before they had their own plane.

"We organized a grassroots group called Project New Horizons, and we set out to be able to buy the organization an aircraft," said Roll. "In a little over three years we raised $500,000 and gave them the money and they purchased their own twin engine aircraft. Prior to that the pilots flew their own."

Roll said the group now has a twin- engine aircraft and a single-engine aircraft, both with a rear door for the boarding of patients.

"Most of our patients are mobile and require little if any help to get in the aircraft," said Roll. "And there is no medical equipment on the aircraft. It is bare bones transportation."

The group finds that the most urgent transports involve transplant cases because there is no place in the U.P. where transplants are done and the window of opportunity to perform the procedure is small. Other patients include the chronically-ill who cannot drive long distances or afford commercial flights.

Northwoods AirLifeline helps meet the needs of people who are financially distressed, unable to travel by other means or under other severe restraints.

"I used it myself once, when they flew me down to Cleveland for neck surgery," said Roll.

Roll said Northwoods AirLifeline lives on the generosity of the people of the U.P.

"It's all donated labor. All the officers and the board of directors and pilots - nobody gets paid anything," said Roll. "(Donations) go to cover the cost of operation of the aircraft - insurance, hangar fees, gas, repairs. Basically maintenance and upkeep."

Roll said when Project New Horizons was trying to get the first plane, an Iron Mountain man donated a large sum of money, and asked them why they were doing this.

"For me when we gave the keys to that airplane to Northwoods Airline line, I'm got a good feeling inside and I know that I've helped a lot of people down the road," said Roll.

Northwoods AirLifeline regularly flies between 100 and 120 flights per year at an average cost of $500 per flight. Donations are always welcome and can be directed to Northwoods AirLifeline, P.O. Box 2973, Kingsford, Mich. 49802. For more information, visit www.northwoodsairlifeline.org

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Audrey LaFave, (906) 786-2021, ext. 145, alafave@dailypress.net