Royal Flying Doctor Service partners in work and life Chloe and Steve Gore met in the sky and have worked together all across Australia.
The flight nurse manager and he pilot husband have spent hours in the air and on the ground ensuring regional Australians get timely access to crucial medical care.
"Steve and I have been married for nearly two years," Ms Gore said.
"We've done a few great taskings together.
"It's actually good fun, we work well together … pilots and nurses will work very closely together — always important to be a good team."
But in extreme heat, gusty winds and severe storms, monitoring patients on the tarmac as they move from the ambulance to the plane can be dangerous.
To combat these risks, the RFDS is aiming to raise $550,000 to build a patient transfer facility – the second of its kind in South Australia – at Renmark Airport.
The Gores have witnessed first-hand how crucial facilities like these can be in their ability to provide care during extreme weather events, something they have navigated while working in Renmark.
"In the middle of winter it can be minus five degrees … it can also be 45 degrees in the middle of summer," Mr Gore said.
"You're trying to get somebody on the plane as quick as you can and it's very difficult."
A smoother ride for patients
The patient transfer facility will enable medical crews to treat and stabilise patients in a well-lit, climate-controlled and private setting, which Ms Gore says will be a "game changer".
"Ensuring that our patients' journey from the hospital … all the way to the tertiary setting is a much safer and smoother and, in particular, a much more comfortable transfer," she said.
The RFDS Renmark Patient Transfer Facility follows the success of a similar facility in Mount Gambier that opened in 2019.
In its first year of operation it was used by flying doctor crews hundreds of times.
The RFDS lands at least once a day in Renmark to airlift people for medical treatment in Adelaide.
SA Ambulance Service Country Operations acting executive director Rob Tolson said the transfer period from the hospital and ambulance to the plane was one of the most dangerous times.
"The paramedics, the flight crew, they all need to be in an environment where they can maximise the benefit for the patient," he said.
The project will be self-funded with support from local government and the Riverland RFDS Support Group, with a fundraising campaign to help offset the costs.
Development will begin as soon as possible and it is hoped the facility will be ready within 12 months.
