Six hardy local “Dames” defied the weather reports on Friday, Feb. 24, to trek uphill from the Mesquite Vistas Clubhouse to the Mesquite Municipal Airport. Little did these members of the Mesquite Desert Dames Urban Walkers Club know the surprises Airport Manager Richard Glick would have in store to reward their efforts.
It was the second time the group climbed up Kitty Hawk Drive to the airport. Club member Linda Faas followed up on Rick’s prior invitation to come for coffee and donuts the next time they visited. He made good on his word.
But Rick had even more treats in store as he led the club members to the last hangar at the end of the runway. There the “Dames” met the entire crew of Mercy Air, Mesquite’s emergency medical helicopter company.
After relaxing and enjoying the promised coffee and donuts, pilot Jon Fretz; his paramedic, Luke; and Nurse, Isaiah, explained their work of transporting the urgently sick and injured to and from medical facilities in the region. The crews truly provide assistance in life and death situations that occur daily in Mesquite and the surrounding areas.
Fretz pointed out that recent federal legislation has provided relief for people facing the sizable cost of medical emergency flights. He said that he and his staff do considerable public outreach to educate public that patients no longer will face massive financial responsibility for using life-saving helicopter service. The victim’s financial portion of the cost is now tied to federal levels of reimbursement.
“Hats off to Mr. Glick for arranging such an informative and enjoyable tour of our unique gem of an airport,” said Desert Dame member Nikki Hildebrand. “And to Mercy Air for its life-saving service to our community.”
