Paul Carolan, chief operating officer HALO helicopter medevac organization, at a fundraiser organized by and held at Western Tractor just outside Medicine Hat last Friday.--NEWS PHOTO GILLIAN SLADE
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
Threats of demise have subsided for HALO – for now – but the fight for government financial support continues.
Due to significant community support, the helicopter medevac service is no longer at risk of closing on July 1.
It hopes to have enough money to operate until a provincial government review is complete at the end of August.
“We may not have the full six months of operating funds sitting in a bank account, but with the support we have received, we believe it is a realistic possibility,” said CEO Paul Carolan. “We can’t take our foot off the gas; we need to make sure we support these fundraisers with everything we have and make sure the momentum continues. “
Carolan says as of June 1 there had not been any financial support announcement from the provincial government.
A week ago, Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes said he had asked the government of Alberta to provide $150,000 a month to HALO until the end of August when a review of ambulance helicopter service is due complete. Barnes said HALO needed about a week to submit requested documents to the UCP government in this regard.
Several recent fundraisers have made a huge difference for HALO but the pressure must continue on the provincial government, said Carolan. Two major social media auction pages went live, one with almost $200,000 in items and services donated. Last Friday, Western Tractor, McCain Foods and J.E.B. Transport held a creative fundraiser designed to support potato growers while simultaneously raising funds for HALO.
“The outpouring of community support has been nothing short of miraculous. We exist to help people when they need us most, when we announced we needed help, those same people rose to the challenge,” said Carolan. “The people of southern Alberta have spoken clearly, and definitively, they believe their government should at least do their part, and they are tired of feeling like second-class citizens because they live in rural Alberta.”
HALO has launched a new online tool for Albertans to communicate directly with their elected representative about their support for HALO and a permanent long-term funding solution.
https://www.haloairambulance.com/takeaction/
