Angel Flights

The crash in Easton, Massachuetts this week shines a sad light on a vital service performed every day by volunteers all over the country -   selfless volunteers like pilot 65-year-old Joseph E. Baker of Brookfield, Connecticut. He and his two passengers, cancer patient Robert Gregory and his wife, Donna Gregory,  were killed Tuesday morning when their Beechcraft Bonanza G35 plane crashed into a  parking lot   as it was making its approach to Logan International Airport in Boston. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

Angel Flight provides air transportation to cancer patients, their caregivers, and  loved ones free of charge. In the northeast region alone, Angel Flight has flown about 53,000 people since it was founded in 1996.

To find which Angel Flight region covers your area of the country, visit the web site here.  Pick your state in the dropdown window and go to the link you are directed to.

Angel Flights is just are one of a large  community of people who step up to help those in need as the list of such organizations that follows shows:

aircharitynetwork.org - ACN provides access for people in need seeking free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destination due to family, community or national crisis.

mercymedical.org - Mercy Medicial Airlift's 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; further, to ensure the provision of urgent transportation in situations of compelling human need and homeland security emergencies

Corpangelnetwork.org- Arranges  free air transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment using the empty seats on corporate jets.

patienttravel.org- The purpose of the National Patient Travel Center is "... to ensure that no financiallyneedy patient is denied access to distant specialized medical evaluation, diagnosis or treatment for lack of a means of long-distance medical air transportation."

aircareall.org - The Air Care Alliance is a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations whose volunteer pilots are dedicated to community service. 

Special thanks to Thomas Hrozencik , who pulled this list together.  He worked at our office in Virginia as a summer intern. He is a Junior at the University of Maryland majoring in economics. In addition to assisting the Matria Oncology case management staff with identifying member and provider phone and fax numbers, his summer project was to develop a database of patient resources.