Erie County Legislator John Mills recently honored Mercy Flight as it celebrates 40 years of providing life-saving services to the Western New York Community. Mercy Flight is an independent, not-for-profit provider of air medical transport and provides rapid, safe and cost-effective delivery of expert emergency response teams. Mercy Flight was first established in 1981 by Douglas H. Baker who owned LaSalle Ambulance and had a desire to reach more patients in need. As a result, Mercy Flight was the first air-medical service in New York and one of the first of its kind in the United States.

Mercy Flight is headquartered in Buffalo with bases strategically placed throughout Western New York—enabling the organization to swiftly serve patients from Niagara Falls to Rochester to Northwestern Pennsylvania and beyond.

Mercy Flight’s average cost per mission is $1,420 but performs its services without regard to its patient’s ability to pay which has led the organization to forgive more than $1.6 million of patient debt in the last year.

Legislator Mills said, “I want to thank everyone over at Mercy Flight for the incredible work they do. I was recently given a tour by Vice President Scott Wooten and Flight Paramedic Thomas LaBelle and I cannot express in words just how much I am impressed by the organization—they are at the forefront of medical technology. I left Mercy Flight headquarters with the comfort of knowing they are there in case of any and all emergencies if need be. Congratulations on 40 years and here’s to many more.”

Mercy Flight Vice President of Finance Scott P. Wooton said, “For over 40 years, Mercy Flight has been a beacon of hope when minutes matter, but it has been the support of countless individuals that have made that possible. We’re incredibly honored to have been recognized by Legislators John Mills and Frank Todaro, and the rest of the Erie County Legislature, and we’d like to convey that special recognition on to everyone that has played a role in our success. Mercy Flight is here for you, thanks to you.”