Mrs. Eva Bready was enjoying a cruise vacation when she suffered a broken pelvis and arm. She was hospitalized in Nassau, Bahamas when we received a call regarding her emergency situation.
Her daughter, Dr. Lois Bready, who was in San Antonio, Texas, was very helpful in facilitating the air evac. (And most impressed by SkyMed’s Director of Client Services, Dorothy Howell).
At the time of her hospitalization, Mrs. Bready didn’t realize that Hurricane George was raging over the Gulf of Mexico, which is the direct flight path from Nassau to San Antonio.
Our medical flight team flew into Nassau the day after her call and moved Mrs. Bready to the waiting jet, then dodged around Hurricane George, delivering her safely to. the hospital in San Antonio.
A compounding problem was locating a medically equipped jet capable of performing this literal rescue on such short notice. Almost every emergency aircraft and emergency vehicle/ambulance had been commandeered for use in the Hurricane George weather tragedy.
To add to her stress, the local doctors in Nassau, realizing Mrs. Bready’s unfortunate circumstance, wanted to extract a “special” $3,000 payment as a hospital “release fee”! Our Sunday airlift avoided that surcharge.
Had Mrs. Bready been required to do her own flight search, it may well have been impossible.
Another interesting note: Mrs. Bready renewed and extended her membership only two weeks before her emergency air evac!
Cost of the medical evacuation service: $20,000 +
Cost to member: $0
