Viva Energy has signed a three-year partnership with aeromedical organisation, CareFlight.
The $3 million commitment will support the Darwin-based CareFlight medical rescue helicopter to continue to fly to rescue and deliver emergency healthcare and retrieval all across the top end of the Northern Territory.
The partnership will also deliver a pathways to employment program to provide work experience, traineeships and scholarships at CareFlight for rural and remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people.
Other programs under the partnership include development of Indigenous language material to help communicate with CareFlight patients and receive feedback, and the development of emergency response plans for emerging small and medium Indigenous businesses.
The AW 139 helicopter supported by the project is said to be “ideally suited” for emergency medical response and evacuations in remote and inaccessible parts of the NT, as well as search and rescue on land and offshore.
“Viva Energy prides itself on helping people reach their destination and through our new partnership with CareFlight we will be assisting people in their hour of need – providing the critical care required by the patient and getting them to a hospital when there is a medical emergency,” says Viva Energy Head of Distribution Vince Neville.
“CareFlight offers a wonderful service that is critical for the health and safety of people living in remote locations in the NT and Viva Energy is delighted to be able to contribute to the community by helping people get medical attention when they need it most.”
CareFlight has been providing aeromedical services in Australia since 1986, and the NT since 2007. They’ve worked to provide “equity” in access to healthcare for people in remote, very remote and regional areas so they can receive an “equivalent level” of patient care to that available in major population centres.
“We’ve had a long relationship with Viva Energy, which provides us with aviation fuel for our fleet of over 15 aircraft as well as fuel for our road vehicles,” says CareFlight Northern Territory General Manager Philip Roberts.
“We know that our two organisations already work together well, sharing knowledge of the landscape and environments we work in and the challenges we face.
“I’m looking forward to working more closely with the Viva Energy team and continuing to provide great care across the Territory and deliver improved outcomes for the communities we both serve.”
