Meet Emily– Licensed Clinical Social Worker at UC San Diego Center for Transplant

Meet our healthcare partner, Emily. She’s been requesting flights with Angel Flight West for the last 12 months as a social worker at UC San Diego Center for Transplant. Each year, healthcare requesters from UC San Diego Health request dozens of donated flight services to help their patients access their vital care.

1. Could you tell us about your current occupation? How long have you been working in this position? Why did you become interested in your field??

I currently work as a heart transplant/VAD social worker for UCSD.? I've been in this position for a little over two years and enjoy working directly with both patients and their families.? I became interested in working with transplant/VAD patients because these therapies can offer people a way to extend their lives.???

2. How did you hear about Angel Flight West? When did you start requesting flights with AFW??

I first heard about AFW through a coworker.? We've begun receiving a number of out of state referrals from Las Vegas. After transplant/VAD implant, patients need to stay locally in San Diego for the first three months upon their discharge from the hospital.? Staying locally in San Diego can be quite expensive and can often drain people's financial reserves.? After the three-month mark, patients can return home, however, they're expected to return to San Diego for follow-up clinic visits on a monthly basis.???

3. How have your experiences requesting flights from AFW been? Without naming patients (if applicable), have there been any particularly impactful experiences that you have had that you would like to share??

AFW has assisted with providing free flights to help patients and their families return to San Diego for follow-up visits.? In thinking of one patient in particular, pilots have made arrangements to fly this patient out to San Diego and back to Vegas in the same day.? This is a huge cost saving for the patient as they don't need to make arrangements to stay overnight in San Diego.? Also, in certain circumstances, they've been able to provide transportation from the airport to the UCSD clinic.???

4. What would you want other healthcare workers or nonprofit partners to know about AFW??

AFW is a wonderful organization, it's easy to place a referral on a patient's behalf.? Also, when you call AFW, a live representative answers the phone and can help answer any questions you or your patients may have.? AFW staff are great at communicating any barriers with scheduling flights and try their best to accommodate patients' needs.??

If you're a healthcare worker and want to learn more about requesting flights for patients, please visit our website or call us at (310) 390-2958. You can also email our team at [email protected].?