Dispatches, April 2025

April 1, 2025
Posted in

Dispatches shares stories from the patients, supporters, crew, and communities that make LifeFlight of Maine one of the premier air ambulance services in the nation. It is published three times each year by The LifeFlight Foundation.

Download this issue as a PDF.

Stories in this issue of Dispatches


Updates from the Flightdeck, April 2025

Welcome to our Spring 2025 issue of Dispatches! In an emergency, a good plan drives performance. At LifeFlight of Maine, we invest heavily in being prepared and remain committed to continuous improvement. We constantly work to refine the things we already do well, and we seek feedback earnestly from our team members, peers, and patients to […]
LifeFlight's airplane and ambulance on a snowy runway.

Three Modes of Transport. One Critical Care Team.

LifeFlight of Maine’s mission is to provide critical care and medical transport to anyone across the State of Maine, when and where they need it. Every decision and every action taken is designed to accomplish both of those objectives as safely and effectively as possible. “Critical care” is a technical term that encompasses a broad […]
Flight Nurse Melissa Dufault by a LifeFlight helicopter.

The Greatest Job in the World

By Melissa Dufault In December 2024, flight nurse Melissa Dufault gave the speech below at 100 Neighbors Who Care of Penobscot Valley’s quarterly meeting. She offered her perspective about working as a flight nurse and what being a part of LifeFlight means to her. After her presentation, 100 Neighbors Who Care selected LifeFlight as their […]
A LifeFlight crew carries an empty stretcher to the helicopter at sunset.

Why Leslie and Shawn Anderson Support LifeFlight

Leslie and Shawn Anderson have both a professional and a personal connection to LifeFlight of Maine. The couple is originally from Caribou, where for years Leslie served as the chief operating officer at Cary Medical Center. Her husband, Shawn, was the chief executive officer at Houlton Regional Hospital. Photos: Leslie’s father, Nathan Randolph (left); Shawn […]
Oliver White and his parents in front of a helicopter.

Patient Story: Oliver White

On October 17, 2024, LifeFlight of Maine completed its 40,000th patient transport. Oliver White, who had a life-threatening congenital heart defect, was transported in a LifeFlight helicopter from Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital in Ellsworth to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Max and April White never expected their son’s first flight to […]
A LifeFlight helicopter sits on the runway at sunset.

Leadership Spotlight: Linda Varrell

Linda Varrell is President/CEO of Broadreach Public Relations and a board member with The LifeFlight Foundation. Being prepared is important, even critical, to success in most cases. It’s challenging enough to prepare when you know what to expect. But extend that challenge to an indeterminate number of possibilities, attempt to prepare for each situation you […]
A LifeFlight helicopter on a dirt road.

A Good Plan and a Strong System Drives Performance

If geography is destiny, must it be determinative of healthcare outcomes? Our role, as much as anything, is to mitigate the adverse influence of geography on patient survival. Or, to put a variation on the Maine phrase: “You can’t get there from here, but when you must, we can.” – Norm Dinerman, MD, Medical Director, […]