Dr. Greg Powell, an Albertan committed to saving others’ lives and the founder of STARS air ambulance, died this week. He was 77. Read More
The current president and CEO of STARS, Dr. John Froh, said Powell’s passing leaves a hole in the heart of STARS and those who loved him
The current president and CEO of STARS, Dr. John Froh, said Powell’s passing leaves a hole in the heart of STARS and those who loved him
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Dr. Greg Powell, an Albertan committed to saving others’ lives and the founder of STARS air ambulance, died this week. He was 77.
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With vision and determination, Powell created a charitable helicopter emergency service that changed health care in rural Alberta and provided unmatched medical service to patients in crisis outside large cities.
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The current president and CEO of STARS, Dr. John Froh, said Powell’s passing leaves a hole in the heart of STARS and those who loved him.
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“From the very beginning of his distinguished medical career, Dr. Powell was committed to saving lives,” said Froh. “Early on, he recognized too many patients were dying because they couldn’t get the care they needed fast enough and was motivated to change that.”
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As of January this year, STARS had completed 60,000 life-saving missions since its inception.
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In 2019, Powell explained to Postmedia that STARS was crucial in a province like ours, due to the way cities are distributed and the amount of rural space in between.
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“This is pretty important to have rapidly deployable equipment and people that can take care to the patient, because of our rural network,” he said.
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The inspiration for STARS came to Powell due to his experience in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
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He passed away at the Foothills Hospice in Okotoks with his wife Linda and other family at his bedside.
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More to come . . .
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