11/12/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/12/2024 09:36
Phillips 66 announced that it is now the official fuel provider for Memorial Hermann Life Flight, gifting up to $1.5 million worth of fuel in 2025 to the critical care air medical transport service.
The donation to the Memorial Hermann Foundation will support the new Life Flight helicopter fleet, which is set to make its debut next year and is designed to expand services to a wider range of areas. The arrangement gives an opportunity for Phillips 66 to gift the same amount annually for the next five years.
"With this donation, we are putting our company's mission of providing energy and improving lives into action," said Zhanna Golodryga, executive vice president of Emerging Energy and Sustainability for Phillips 66 and Memorial Hermann Foundation board member. "Life Flight is a pillar of medical response, and we are thrilled to share our resources to support their life-saving work. Memorial Hermann is a leading health care provider, and as a leading integrated downstream energy provider, we are proud to collaborate with them for the greater good of our community."
Phillips 66's donation is equal to the amount of fuel the new Life Flight fleet will use each year. The fleet will include the first H160 helicopter in North America used for medical missions, which will expand Life Flight's service radius from 150 miles to 250. The Phillips 66 name will also be displayed on one of the fleet's helicopters and its shield will be on the John S. Dunn Helistop helipad at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
"We are extremely fortunate that Phillips 66 sees how fundamental Memorial Hermann Life Flight is to saving lives in the Greater Houston Area," said Anne Neeson, executive vice president and CEO of the Memorial Hermann Foundation. "It takes a tremendous amount of resources to ensure Memorial Hermann Life Flight operates efficiently for our community, and this generous fuel gift from Phillips 66 will enable this great community asset valued so highly by Houstonians."
Memorial Hermann Life Flight crews perform more than 4,000 missions each year, making the hospital's helipad one of the busiest in the world. Life Flight employs their own crews to ensure safety and quality with a staff of 21 pilots, 24 flight nurses, 12 paramedics, 10 dispatchers and 10 mechanics.
"As technology and helicopters advance, Life Flight is consistently looking ahead to ensure we are operating at the absolute best of our abilities," said Tom Flanagan, Life Flight's program director and internal consultant. "Life Flight's new fleet is proof of that mission, and this generous gift from Phillips 66 helps to ease the transition with an abundance of fuel."
The service has flown more than 166,000 critical care situations since its inaugural flight in 1976.