Officials with Hawaii Air Ambulance (HAA), who operate emergency medical transports for the state between the Neighbor Islands and O‘ahu, recently purchased 400 boxes of Girl Scouts cookies, approximately 10,000 individual cookies, for use on pediatric transports. Members of flight
Officials with Hawaii Air Ambulance (HAA), who operate emergency medical transports for the state between the Neighbor Islands and O‘ahu, recently purchased 400 boxes of Girl Scouts cookies, approximately 10,000 individual cookies, for use on pediatric transports.
Members of flight crews will offer classic Girl Scouts favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, and even the new gourmet cinnamon Cafe Cookies to help make air-evacuation experiences a little easier for keiki, an HAA leader said in a press release.
“By purchasing the Girl Scouts cookies, we are helping a great organization while making our pediatric flights a little sweeter for our youngest patients,” said Andrew Kluger, HAA chairman and chief executive officer.
“If we can make just one of our young passengers smile in what can often be a very scary situation for small children, it’s worth it.”
HAA pilots operate a fleet of five, twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing Cessna 414A aircraft based on O‘ahu, Maui and the Big Island, for aeromedical transports. They often call on Lihu‘e Airport as well.
Last year, HAA crew members provided 2,486 emergency aeromedical transports, of which 132 were pediatric transports.
Reyna Kaneko, director of product to market for Girl Scouts of Hawaii, said, “Hawaii Air Ambulance is giving twice: first, toward our mission to help Hawai‘i’s girls reach their full potential and, second, to all of Hawai‘i’s children who require their assistance in medical emergencies.
“The Girl Scouts of Hawaii appreciates Hawaii Air Ambulance’s participation in our annual cookie sale, and we applaud the company for putting them to such great use.”
Although cookie sales were originally scheduled to end Feb. 5, leaders with the Girl Scouts of Hawaii have extended sales throughout February. All proceeds stay in Hawai‘i to support local programs and activities. For more information on purchasing cookies, call 245-4984.
Members of flight crews of Hawaii Air Ambulance, fully accredited by the Commission of Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, have been serving the needs of Hawai‘i residents since 1979, providing emergency interisland transportation of over 37,000 serious-injured and critically-ill patients within the state, Kluger said.With headquarters at Honolulu International Airport and an organization staffed around the clock, HAA leaders utilize a force of 100 pilots, physicians, flight nurses, flight medical technicians, mechanics and administrative personnel.
HAA is a recipient of the Livingston M.F. Wong, M.D. Lifetime Achievement Award, the state’s top emergency-medical-services award, as well as the 2005 Air Medical Safety Award for outstanding consecutive accident-free, air-medical-service missions.
For more information, visit HAA’s Web site, http://hiairamb.com.
