STARS receives $300,000 over three years from Teck
Micah Quinn
- 0
- 2 minutes read
Teck Resources Limited, a mining company based out of Vancouver, B.C. recently made a $300,000 donation over the next three years to STARS, otherwise known as the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service.
The funds will help support critically ill and injured patients around Elk Valley, B.C.
Rory O’Connor, the manager of social responsibility for Teck, says their relationship with STARS goes back 30 years.
“STARS helps to provide just an incredible level of additional support service that you hope you’ll never need. But in an emergency with their base in Calgary, they’re a very close proximity to our operations and they’re able to provide incredible critical care. They have staff that are trained at an unbelievable level. Of course, with the wildfires going on right now across the country, we see a lot of focus on first responders, and we have amazing first responders locally. We have specialized mine rescue teams that work for us. We have local communities that have their own first aid responders. But STARS just offers that additional level of care and response.”
Stuart Grant, a flight nurse with STARS highlighted how important this funding will be for the organization.
“The $300,000 is going towards providing the equipment, the training, supporting those aircraft so that we can be there for that next patient who needs us, including in the areas where Teck operates for their employees and their employees families. So this donation supports me personally as a flight nurse. It provides the ability for me to have that next greatest equipment that is proven to be the best thing for our patients. It supports our training as well. So either our pilots or air medical crew, it supports our training. So I’m getting the most advanced training that any kind of nurse in the country is getting because of support like Teck is giving with us with this $300,000 donation.”
Over the past year STARS flew 29 missions in the Regional District of East Kootenay, including ten in the Elk Valley.
