Viva Energy today announced it has signed a three-year partnership with CareFlight, a leading national aeromedical organisation that uses helicopters and other aircraft to transport sick and injured patients within Australia and overseas to emergency hospital care.
The $3 million commitment will support the Darwin based CareFlight medical rescue helicopter to continue to fly to the rescue and deliver emergency health care and retrieval all across the Top End of the Northern Territory.
The partnership will also deliver a Pathways to Employment program to provide work experience, traineeships and scholarships at CareFlight for rural and remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people.
Other programs under the partnership include development of Indigenous-language material to help communicate with CareFlight patients and receive feedback, and the development of Emergency Response Plans for emerging small and medium Indigenous businesses.
The AW 139 helicopter supported by the project is ideally suited for emergency medical response and evacuations in remote and inaccessible parts of the Territory as well as search and rescue on land and offshore.
“Viva Energy prides itself on helping people reach their destination and through our new partnership with CareFlight we will be assisting people in their hour of need – providing the critical care required by the patient and getting them to a hospital when there is a medical emergency,” said Vince Neville, Viva Energy’s Head of Distribution.
“CareFlight offers a wonderful service that is critical for the health and safety of people living in remote locations in the Northern Territory and Viva Energy is delighted to be able to contribute to the community by helping people get medical attention when they need it most.”
CareFlight has been providing aeromedical services in Australia since 1986, and the Territory since 2007, working to provide equity in access to healthcare for people in remote, very remote and regional areas so they can receive an equivalent level of patient care to that available in major population centres.
“We’ve had a long relationship with Viva Energy, which provides us with aviation fuel for our fleet of over 15 aircraft as well as fuel for our road vehicles,” said Philip Roberts, General Manager of CareFlight in the Northern Territory. “We know that our two organisations already work together well, sharing knowledge of the landscape and environments we work in and the challenges we face. I’m looking forward to working more closely with the Viva Energy team and continuing to provide great care across the Territory and deliver improved outcomes for the communities we both serve.”
For more information:
Media Enquiries
Michael Cave
T: +61 409 647 910
E: michael.cave@vivaenergy.com.au
About Viva Energy
Viva Energy is one of Australia’s leading energy companies and supplies approximately a quarter of the country’s liquid fuel requirements. It is the exclusive supplier of high quality Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia through an extensive network of around 1,330 service stations across the country.
Viva Energy owns and operates the strategically located Geelong Refinery in Victoria, and operates bulk fuels, aviation, bitumen, marine, chemicals and lubricants businesses supported by more than 20 terminals and 50 airports and airfields across the country.