VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Oct. 10, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- A newly-formed alliance between two national organizations that provide emergency medical support will give wings to patients needing to travel for life-saving cardiac care. Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA) and The Larry King Cardiac Foundation (LKCF) recently signed an agreement to work cooperatively to provide charitable air transportation to LKCF patients who cannot afford commercial air fare.
MMA is a nonprofit organization that works with a variety of programs, including private volunteer pilots, to provide a "special lift" service for patients needing lifesaving cardiac procedures and surgery. Neither LKCF nor MMA charges for their services.
"This partnership with Mercy Medical Airlift and Angel Flight America is the missing link we needed to help us to reach our goal to 'save a heart a day,'" states Larry King, Jr., president of The Larry King Cardiac Foundation. "We will now be able to perform vital cardiac procedures for those patients who live far from one of our partner hospitals."
Mercy Medical Airlift is a member of Angel Flight America, a nonprofit organization which includes six regional Angel Flight groups. Its mission is "to ensure that no needy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation."
MMA's program includes several options, which are dependent upon the patient's needs. For ambulatory patients traveling 1,000 miles or less, volunteer pilots across America are organized to provide flights in their own private aircraft. For those needing to travel more than 1,000 miles, MMA can obtain domestic and international charitable airline tickets from participating commercial airlines as these become available. Non-ambulatory patients requiring medical assistance during flight can receive deeply discounted air ambulance rates through an advocacy/assistance program that arranges air ambulance flights at savings of 25 to 45 percent.
The partnership between MMA and LKCF began when The Foundation publicized a transportation need for a patient from the Dominican Republic. Ed Boyer, MMA CEO, offered to help find a charitable airline ticket. Although the mission never materialized, Boyer's offer encouraged King, Jr., to seek out a potential partnership.
"They wanted to increase their goals for the number of patients they helped," states Boyer. "Because we have run more than 120 special lift operations since 1995, we felt we could help them meet their goal."
Through the special lift program, MMA works with a single national entity, such as LKCF, that has patient transportation needs either domestic or international. "We can provide a diversity of patient travel means all through a single point of contact. Through working together, we can more effectively help needy patients. The Foundation will provide cardiac care -- we'll provide air transportation."
For further information about MMA: www.mercymedical.org .
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation (LKCF) provides funding for life-saving treatment for individuals who, due to limited means or no insurance, would otherwise be unable to receive vital cardiac treatment.
The Foundation works in conjunction with major medical centers throughout the nation to ensure that such patients receive life-saving medical attention. For further information about LKCF: www.lkcf.org
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation logo is available at http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=558
The Mercy Medical Airlift logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2926