STARS and Sturgeon County celebrated a monumental milestone today at the STARS base in Edmonton. The County was recognized as the first municipality in central Alberta to contribute more than $500,000 to STARS – over a 15-year period – and have its logo unveiled on one of STARS new H145 helicopters.
While this milestone is new, the relationship between STARS and Sturgeon County is not. Since 2006, the County has donated a total of $550,234 to STARS to help protect its communities and citizens. This is an average contribution of roughly $2 per person per year. These contributions started in 2006 after Alberta Health Services started managing ambulance services in the province; Sturgeon County redirected the amount it paid to volunteer ambulance services to STARS.
“This is what we mean when we say STARS was built by the community, for the community,” said Andrea Robertson, STARS president and CEO. “We hope everyone in Sturgeon County feels a sense of pride when you see your logo on the helicopter, knowing that you are helping us save lives. We are very grateful for this support and this solid relationship.”
“We are proud to support STARS and the lifesaving work it does, both in our community and throughout Alberta,” said Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw. “Contributions to STARS help keep their helicopters in the air, which means our residents and our neighbours continue to have access to critical medical care when they need it most.”
In the past year, STARS carried out 3,515 missions across the Prairies, with 1,667 from Alberta bases and 22 to Sturgeon County alone. Many of the missions carried out by STARS in Sturgeon County have been coordinated with Sturgeon County Protective Services as valuable partners in providing critical care.
Sturgeon County’s ongoing commitment makes an impact and helps STARS deliver critical care to its residents, ensuring they have access to care when they need it the most. About 90 per cent of Alberta’s rural municipalities support STARS and Sturgeon County is proud to be one of them.
