A Flight for Life. Page 2 CALSTAR Fleet Transformation and Standardization Page 4. Breathing New Life into CALSTAR s Simulation Training Page 7

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1 S UMME R A Flight for Life Page 2 CALSTAR Fleet Transformation and Standardization Page 4 Breathing New Life into CALSTAR s Simulation Training Page 7

2 A Flight for Life RECENTLY, A FORMER CALSTAR PATIENT REACHED OUT TO THANK ONE OF THE FLIGHT NURSES WHO AIDED HER LAST SUMMER ON AN INTER-FACILITY FLIGHT. She called Michael Davidson of CALSTAR 8 in Vacaville, and said Hi, Mike, this is Gina Orlando. There was a long silence on the phone line. He knew exactly who I was, but I m not sure he had expected me to survive, she says. According to Mike, it was a call that brought back the memory of one of the most challenging flights with one of the most acute patients he d ever made. He recalls the transport in detail and finds Gina s recovery remarkable. Rolling back to July of 2013, Flight Nurses Mike Davidson and Tim Castelli first saw Gina under dire circumstances, when she was hospitalized at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, and needed rapid transport to California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in San Francisco. Gina, a young mom of 31 years, had thought she had contracted the flu, but her condition rapidly deteriorated. Leaving for work, her mother looked in and found Gina unresponsive. She called 911. At Auburn Faith, Gina turned out to be in liver failure. Clinical staff there had never seen liver enzyme levels as high as hers. She needed to get to specialists immediately. Quickly arranging the requested interfacility flight, Tim and Mike set out with Pilot Paul Stack to transfer Gina to CPMC. Mike was with Gina s mom in Auburn and she told him, take care of my baby like she was your own. He assured her that he would. Around Sacramento, however, things got worse. Gina s condition deteriorated during the flight, and the crew administered medications and worked to keep her alive, racing to the hospital. Normally, air medical transports fly into San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and proceed by ground to the inner city. However, on this day, weather began to close in over SFO on the team s approach from Auburn, so they took the next most rapid option available to them. They landed in Concord and continued by ground ambulance the rest of the way into the city with red warning lamps and sirens activated for Code 3 operations. Mike and Tim stayed with their critical patient and kept the family informed of the changes in her destination. After Gina was admitted at CPMC and had received further testing, her family was told that her organ failure was extremely serious and her chances of survival were only about 20 percent. The family took up residence in a hotel near the hospital. Her dad flew in from Arizona where he had been visiting family, and her brothers, young son and sister-in-law gathered in a tense vigil. Gina was hooked up to everything, intubated, on dialysis and in an induced coma due to brain swelling, continued on back page From Left: Flight Nurse Michael Davidson and former patient Gina Orlando reunite at CALSTAR 8 in celebration of her continued recovery. 2 3

3 CALSTAR Fleet Transformation and Standardization Outreach Education The Airbus EC 135 P2+ The last phase of CALSTAR s fleet transition will focus on legacy BO105LS helicopters will mark another significant milestone in CALSTAR s rich history with the acquisition of the eighth EC 135 P2+ helicopter from Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter). This latest aircraft acquisition represents the conclusion of an important phase of our fleet standardization plan which was launched in Over the course of the past two years, in a very challenging yet coordinated operational transition, CALSTAR has acquired eight new EC 135 P2+ aircraft, acquired two Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft and sold 19 aircraft (5 fixed-wing and 14 rotor-wing). Prior to this transformation, CALSTAR maintained a diverse fleet of aircraft which included an array of manufacturers and models. 4 While these legacy aircraft supported our mission well over the past several years, the time had come to move the organization toward greater standardization and a variety of gains in operational efficiency. The plan, and its execution, depended on the collaborative efforts of the entire CALSTAR team: Flight Operations, Medical Operations, Maintenance, Risk & Safety, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain/Logistics, Facilities, Finance and Administration. With the full support of our Board of Directors, the CALSTAR team effectively evaluated a variety of possible replacement aircraft and ultimately selected the EC 135 P2+ and the Beechcraft King Air B200. The total amount invested to acquire the 10 aircraft was more than $50 million, and required the financial commitments of various financing partners who support the CALSTAR team. As large as this transition was, we have additional work to do. In the months ahead, we will begin evaluating potential aircraft to replace the last of our legacy fleet the BO105LS rotor-wing by Eurocopter, which was designed to operate in higher altitudes like the Sierra Nevada Mountains and surrounding communities. Once completed, this phase will conclude our fleet upgrade. We are very proud of everyone at CALSTAR for their efforts to make this fleet transformation a reality, including the positive impact it has for us to continue to provide the best and safest care possible to our patients, hospitals, healthcare systems and the communities we serve throughout California and Nevada. Recent requests for continuing education have included Advanced ECG Interpretation; Pediatric Trauma; Traumatic Brain Injury; Blunt Force Trauma; Sepsis, ARDs and SV02 Monitoring. Visit to see a comprehensive list of Education activities, or contact CALSTAR s Education Services Manager, Margaret Franklin: (916) , mfranklin@calstar.org UPCOMING EVENTS: Advanced Trauma & Disaster Preparedness August 14 9:00 AM 3:30 PM John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus, Ball Auditorium This class is sponsored by DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY, THOMAS J LONG FOUNDATION, JOHN MUIR HEALTH and CALSTAR. Seminar topics will include Mass Casualty Incidents, Bomb Blasts 101, Pediatric Trauma, Adult Trauma and Burns. Registration for this class is now closed. Burn Trauma August 28 10:00 AM 12:00 PM Twin Cities Community Hospital Instructor Suz Roehl, RN, a CALSTAR Flight Nurse with 26 years of critical care and emergency nursing experience, will cover burn acuity, basic management, wound dressing, patient transport and analgesia. This lecture is appropriate for nurses, paramedics and first responders. Please contact Jan Tiffin (Education Manager, Twin Cities Community Hospital) to register or to obtain additional information: (805) , jan.tiffin@tenethealth.com The Beechcraft King Air B200 5

4 6 UCSF Benioff Children s Hospital Oakland Receives Prestigious Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center Certification (Pictured left to right: Stacey Hanover, Jacqueline Hogan-Schlientz, Dr. James Betts, Dr. Christopher Newton, Bonnie Lovette, Debbie Embree) Thanks to new funding from local grantmaking organizations and individual supporters, CALSTAR is expanding its in-flight communications capability to more effectively serve Mendocino County residents. Mendocino County s mountainous topography makes radio communication with CALSTAR 4 (Ukiah) flight crews extremely challenging. With the support of the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, the George and Ruth Bradford Foundation, the Mountanos Family Foundation, the T.R. Eriksen Foundation and individual contributors, CALSTAR is establishing a new strategically positioned radio repeater site and corresponding base station at CALSTAR 4 to expand our current radio network coverage area. The $25,000 project will improve the consistency of radio communication between CALSTAR s crews and communications center, helping to make CALSTAR 4 s flight operations safer, more responsive and more cost-effective. CALSTAR also received generous grant funding from the Wood- Claeyssens Foundation and Chevron to establish a new global positioning system (GPS) helicopter instrument approach at CALSTAR 7 s base located at the Santa Maria Airport. The GPS approach will create a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved flight path for CALSTAR 7's EC135 air ambulance that will improve the efficiency and timeliness of our flight operations, ultimately allowing CALSTAR 7 to serve more Santa Barbara County patients in need of our lifesaving services. The trauma center at UCSF Benioff Children s Hospital Oakland has been verified as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes the trauma center's dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients and brings national recognition to the hospital s trauma center. The designation of Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Service now makes UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland one of only 44 ACS Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Centers in the country and one of only five ACS Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Centers in California. Congratulations to UCSF Benioff Children s Hospital Oakland on this important achievement! New Funding Supports Flight Operations, Communications and Education Finally, Dow Chemical Company and the Thomas J. Long Foundation have provided CALSTAR with new funding to launch an advanced trauma and disaster preparedness training seminar for hospital and EMS professionals serving Contra Costa County. By CALSTAR s new mountain top repeater site will improve in-flight communications throughout Mendocino County. increasing the specialized knowledge of local emergency care providers in the areas of trauma care and disaster preparedness, this free training will help to save more lives and contribute to better health outcomes for hundreds of patients each year throughout our shared East Bay service region. The inaugural seminar, scheduled for August, has already maxed out with 120 registered participants. CALSTAR hopes to make this training an annual event, and we thank our project partners for making this important educational opportunity available to dozens of emergency medical caregivers. Breathing New Life into CALSTAR s Simulation Training Since 2003, patient simulation training has been a cornerstone of CALSTAR s clinical education program. Our Laerdal SimMan that was purchased with funding provided by the HEDCO Foundation ten years ago has proven to be an invaluable asset to the program, and has been utilized extensively for both internal flight nurse training as well as outreach education for hospital caregivers and first responders. Over the past decade, SimMan has provided hundreds of hours of hands-on clinical training for more than 1,000 healthcare professionals. Now, the HEDCO Foundation has generously awarded CALSTAR a $77,500 challenge grant to help us take the next step in creating a premier simulation training experience to benefit CALSTAR s flight nurses as well as our hospital and EMS partners. We are currently seeking matching funding from foundation, corporate and individual donors to purchase new SimMan 3G, SimBaby and SimMom Patient Manikins and peripherals for use in adult, pediatric and high-risk OB training scenarios, a new air/co2 compressor, and on-site training for our simulation instructors. With your support, this initiative will ultimately help to save more lives and improve medical outcomes for thousands of critically ill and injured patients throughout our shared communities. Thanks to funding commitments received from Teichert Foundation and individual donors, we have made significant progress toward our challenge grant goal: HEDCO Foundation Challenge Grant: $77,500 Matching Funds Committed: $32,000 Additional Funding Needed: $45,500 You can help us to complete this important project by making an online matching contribution today at Please designate your gift to New Equipment and Technology. Or if you prefer to donate by mail, please send your donation to: CALSTAR Development & Outreach 4933 Bailey Loop. McClellan, CA For additional information, please contact us at info@calstar.org or (888) We thank you in advance for your support! Recent Hires & Promotions CALSTAR is pleased to welcome the following new team members and congratulate those who have assumed new roles since our last publication: Alyssa Perry Transfer Center Coordinator Andrew J. Del Greco Systems Administrator Brooke E. Sommerdorf Transfer Center Coordinator Christi L. Claudio Scheduling Manager Sabrina Delliquadri Communications Specialist II Jennifer A. Caposella Flight Nurse Jennifer Magliulo Flight Nurse Julia Benford Flight Nurse Kathryn E. Bailey Flight Nurse Lori Hines Clinical Nurse Educator Mark Erhart Flight Nurse Paula G. Russell Flight Nurse Seth Rae Flight Nurse Thomas A. Pandola Director of Communications CALSTAR Board of Directors Kenneth L. Meehan, Board Chairman & Associate Member COO, Atlas Lift Tech Lynn D. Malmstrom, Board President President & CEO, CALSTAR Michael S. Heil, Associate Member Principal, HealthWorks, Inc. Kacey Hansen, RN, Member Representative Executive Director of Trauma & Regional Transfer Services John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Mike T. Johnson, FACHE, Member Representative President & CEO Regional Medical Center of San Jose Dionne Cruz Miller, Member Representative Chief Operating Officer Sutter Roseville Medical Center CALSTAR Management Team Lynn D. Malmstrom President & CEO Mark Vincenzini Chief Financial Officer Tad Henderson Chief Operations Officer 7

5 4933 Bailey Loop McClellan, CA MEMBER HOSPITALS: Regional Medical Center of San Jose Sutter Roseville Regional Medical Medical Center Center of San Jose Sutter Roseville Medical Center AFFILIATE HOSPITALS: Howard Memorial Hospital Mendocino Coast District Hospital Natividad Medical Center Saint Louise Regional Hospital Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Ukiah Valley Medical Center camts Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems Accredited since 2001 camts Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems Accredited since 2001 continued from page 3 A FLIGHT FOR LIFE her mother recalls. Doctors debated about performing a liver transplant, watching her liver function closely. They did not think her chances were good. Her kidneys were shutting down. Her mother, Marie, journaled that Friday the 2nd of August was the worst day of my life. I was losing my child, my baby girl. Still, as the next days slowly unfolded, the liver specialist felt that because her tests were improving, she might just pull through. Her family stayed strong and turned to prayer to help them with both the changing situation and the decisions that they had to make. And then Gina woke up. Although this was a good sign, that s when the crazy stuff started, she recalls. ICU delirium is very common after liver failure. But at the time, the agitation, hallucinations, and nightmares were a new challenge for her and her family. They hung on through an emotional roller coaster ride. The fog cleared for her at last, and Gina came to. She apologized to the nurses for what she might have said during the delirium, and felt that she could finally breathe and function again. Almost a year later, Gina says she is now nearly 100 percent recovered. Although there have been ups and downs, and she still struggles slightly with speech and memory, she is a totally functioning person again. The odds were completely against it, she knows, especially without having had a liver transplant. She believes her trouble originated with long-term use of acetaminophen to treat back pain from an injury a decade before. Although linked with liver failure, she had not had high doses of the medication, and her outcome has puzzled doctors. I m so grateful I have my life, she says with emotion. I FEEL LIKE CALSTAR IS NOW A PART OF MY FAMILY LIKE THE LOVED ONES WHO SEE YOU AT YOUR ABSOLUTE WORST. I WANT TO SAY I LOVE YOU FOR THIS, YOU HELPED SAVE MY LIFE. I DON T HAVE WORDS FOR THE LOVE AND GRATIFICATION I FEEL. There are no words to describe the passion, love, and respect I have for everyone at CALSTAR who helped me. They were definitely a godsend. They are absolutely amazing people. She also credits her family for being so supportive and her then seven-year-old son, Gus, for his calm confidence. He said he always knew I was going to be OK, she recalls. The opportunity for a reunion with one of her CALSTAR flight nurses came in late February of this year when Gina got to meet Mike and visit CALSTAR 8. Accompanied by her best friend, Gina took a short helicopter ride and received an overview of the lifesaving equipment on board. I feel like CALSTAR is now a part of my family like the loved ones who see you at your absolute worst. I want to say I love you for this, you helped save my life. I don t have words for the love and gratification I feel. Opportunities to meet patients and their families and hear about the way our team touched their lives are very rare in our line of work. It really just leaves you feeling privileged and in awe of the job and your colleagues, adds Mike Davidson. As a warm gesture to the staff, Gina brought cookies from a treasured, generations-old family recipe that she, her mother and relatives love to make. Now, she will be able to hand that recipe down to her son. OUR MISSION: To save lives, reduce disability and speed recovery for victims of trauma and illness through rapid transport, quality medical care and education.