STARS Foundation

STARS IS YOUR BEST HOPE IN A WORST-CASE SCENARIO

We specialize in the most acute, life-threatening illnesses and injuries. When the very worst happens, we’re the people to call. Our team’s advanced, focused expertise in critical care makes us a vital resource for doctors and other emergency responders. Most patients will never need us. Our job is to always be ready for the ones who do. People who are facing the most urgent, life-threatening health emergencies that medical professionals will ever see. We’re a trusted partner for when doctors and emergency responders need access to our higher-level of expertise. We hire the best nurses, paramedics, and doctors, and train them to tackle the toughest cases they’ll see in their career. The most pivotal advantage of our mobile ICUs is that patients start receiving life-saving care right away. What happens in those first moments can be the difference between life and death, or permanent damage and full recovery.

We started in Calgary 35 years ago and have flown over 50,000 missions since.
It all began when a pregnant woman from a rural community died from blood loss, leaving a father alone with their newborn. For STARS’ founders, her death was one too many. Something had to be done. Motivated to change emergency care for the patients who needed us, these founders created a helicopter air ambulance service, which was built and supported by the community.

While the faces have changed, STARS team members continue to be motivated by our passion for saving more lives and our desire to be the disruptive innovator that contributes to transformation in the health-care system.

BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY

STARS is a charitable not-for-profit organization that responds to community needs. To do this, we rely on a model that blends support from several sources.

When you support STARS, you enable us to deliver care anywhere it’s required. You propel our innovation, allowing us to deliver leading-edge care that saves lives.

We are a trusted partner of governments and health authorities, responsible for providing the highest level of care in our communities.

Communities share a sense of duty, ensuring every one of us has access to care when we need it the most.

WE ARE MORE THAN TRANSPORT

Whether by air, ground, or satellite link, the expert care delivered by our doctors, nurses, and paramedics comes in many forms. The STARS Emergency Link Centre also acts as a critical care logistics hub, connecting patients with help beyond STARS. We are wherever we need to be, using any transportation and tools necessary to reach our patients and deliver the care that can save their lives. For some patients, a helicopter is the right method to respond. For others, our teams will go by airplane or ground ambulances. Often, our physicians can diagnose and provide care guidance directly through phone or video link. The STARS Emergency Link Centre specializes in bringing together all the healthcare and emergency response professionals who are working to help you survive.

ANYONE, ANYWHERE

It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you are. If you need critical care, our mission is to be there for you – physically or virtually, in whatever capacity we can help. We’re your insurance for when the unthinkable happens. You never want to see us, but you always want to know we’re there for you. STARS is for everyone. Urban, rural and remote; young and old; at home and away from home. If you need us, we answer. No one plans to have a serious medical emergency. Any one of us can experience a life-changing incident or medical complication whether or not we’re close to care. That’s why we exist.