More and more patients that need help to reach their medical treatment locations are finding a guardian angel in Blue Bell nonprofit which connects people with flights from volunteer pilots to provide them with free transportation, writes John George for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Angel Flight East supplied 155 individual patients with a record-breaking 859 free flights last year, more than in any of the previous years since its inception in 1993.

Based out of Blue Bell’s Wings Field, the nonprofit currently covers 14 states.  Just last year, the organization arranged for 82 flights into and 79 flights out of Philadelphia International Airport, Northeast Philadelphia Airport, and Wings Field. These accounted for almost 20 percent of the total number of Angel Flight East’s flights.

According to Ellen Williams, executive director of Angel Flight East, the number of flights has increased dramatically over the last three years, as the nonprofit focuses more on outreach to providers and organizations that provide patient support.

Williams added that the company has a multipart strategy to help even more patients in the future.

“We want to do more outreach in our outlining areas,” she said.

Read more about the nonprofit at Philadelphia Business Journal by clicking here.

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Top photo credit: Aircaft @ Airport By James G-BEKN Reims Cessna 150 via photopin (license)