STARS asks Brooks to double per-capita contribution after 165 county flights in five years

STARS has flown 165 air ambulance missions in the County of Newell over the past five years at an estimated cost of $1.6 million, a delegation told Brooks city council at its regular meeting Monday, as the organization asked the city to consider doubling its per-capita funding contribution before budget deliberations begin.

Jackie Seeley, STARS Donor Relations and Development Officer, told council that 115 of those missions originated from Brooks Hospital, with another 11 calls near Brooks — together accounting for close to two-thirds of the county's total mission volume over that period.

"When you look at that 165, that's 165 lives that had the best chance at survival, you know, with having critical care brought right to their side," Seeley said during Monday's council meeting.

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Brooks joined the STARS municipal initiative in 2024 and currently contributes $1 per capita. Seeley said STARS has submitted a funding request that would see the city move to $2 per capita by 2029, in line with what she described as the regional-leader benchmark. She said 85 per cent of STARS municipal partners already contribute above $2 per capita.

Seeley said the $1.6-million cost figure is an estimate based on a midpoint of roughly $10,000 per mission, with individual mission costs ranging from $7,500 to more than $12,000 depending on distance, flight time, how long crews spend stabilizing a patient, and whether medications such as thrombolytic drugs are administered on board.

"So if from the low end to the high end, you could estimate probably $10,000 per mission. And when you look at 165 missions over 5 years, that could be to the tune of $1.6 million," Seeley said during Monday's council meeting. "And so this is why we rely on such a blended funding model. We're not asking for all of the money from one place."

STARS receives $15.6 million per year in block funding from Alberta Health Services and must fundraise 59 per cent of its direct operating costs through corporate and individual donations, community fundraisers, the STARS lottery and the municipal initiative, Seeley said.

Coun. Mike Regner asked Seeley what the actual cost of the 26 missions flown in the Brooks area so far in 2026 would be, noting that at the current $1-per-capita contribution the city's annual payment works out to roughly $600 per visit. Seeley said STARS does not calculate costs on a per-community basis but provided the broader per-mission cost range in response.

Coun. Mara Nesbitt asked about responsibility for the helipad at Brooks Hospital. Seeley said she believes the pad sits on Alberta Health Services land and would be AHS's responsibility to maintain, contrasting it with helipads on non-AHS land where the cost falls to the community.

Seeley said she attended the meeting earlier than in previous years specifically to give councillors time to ask questions ahead of the budget process. The city's budget deliberations, during which the STARS funding request will be considered, have not yet been scheduled.