by Michele Catahay

Guam - CareJet is offering a new plan to help with expenses for those needing to go off-island for treatment. Program director Marc Decoste says his company has created a new plan that will make it more affordable for residents on island to seek medical treatment away from home. CareJet has been servicing Guam since 2007 and has transported more than 65 patients.

He says the My Life membership plan is designed to give the average person access to this type of service that could save someone's life. "The solo membership plan is $375 per year," he explained. "You can pay on a monthly basis. You can actually go on the web site. It amounts up to $32 per month for a solo plan. Families get sort of a discounted rate. It is $575 per year. You can sign up two parents and two children. The parents don't have to live together. They don't have to be married. They have to be guardians for the kids."

For years, patients have had to go off-island for medical treatment that cannot be offered here on Guam. Because the island lacks some of these services with a limited amount of specialists, Decoste says should an emergency occur, they stand ready to take the patient to the nearest hospital.

He said, "Our particular capabilities aren't really restricted. We can fly almost worldwide but this particular plan, so it can be affordable and it's also best for us to limit it to asia. So we fly to Manila, Tokyo, we can fly to Taiwan, to Hong Kong."

Registered flight nurse with CareJet Louise Foster says the air ambulance will transport these patients in a safe manner. In fact, two pilots fly the plane, with two registered nurses on board along with the patient and one family member. She says there is a need for these types of services for all.

"We've seen quite a variety," she told KUAM News. "I would say a few are cardiac-related, I see a lot of neuro, like strokes, a lot of trauma, accident victims, medical illnesses and disease processes where they can't really fly on a commercial jet. They need individual care and medication along the way." She added, "We're like a mini-ICU in there. We're able to do just about anything. We do have some limitations but we can make sure there's a continuing level of care until we get them to the accepting hospital."

For more information on the My Life plan, log on to CareJet.net, or call 472-LIFE (5433).