Press Release

Issued by MedAire.

May 11, 2015

MedAire, the world's leading integrated aviation and maritime provider of medical, travel and safety services, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Founded in 1985 by flight nurse Joan Sullivan Garrett to provide on-demand medical advice for in-flight medical emergencies the company has grown to be the provider of choice for travel risk management solutions for passengers and crew of airlines, business and general aviation, and luxury yachts.

MedAire was an idea born from a tragic roll-over accident on an Arizona country road in 1983. Garrett was chief medical officer on a helicopter emergency evacuation flight, responding to an accident in which a young boy had been injured. Through this experience and others like it, Garrett realized there was an opportunity to improve the advanced medical expertise and medical kits available to travelers to save and sustain lives.

As a result, Garrett stopped being a nurse and started being an entrepreneur, launching MedAire to bring emergency room level medical expertise to the scene of remote medical incidents. Today, because of her vision and determination, and through MedAire's medical kits, training and state-of-the-art technology, crewmembers are well-trained and equipped for medical emergencies in the air or on the ground.

“While MedAire's service offerings to core clients and markets have grown over the years, my original concept transcends time.” Garrett said, “Our mission has and always will be around saving lives.”

Ms. Garrett never envisioned herself as a visionary or the head of a company with global assets and Fortune 500 clients, but today MedAire is an important part of the global International SOS group of companies and provides medical and travel safety services to crewmembers and passengers around the world.

Acquired in 2008 by International SOS, which has facilities in more than 92 countries, MedAire provides medical training for flight crews, on-board medical equipment, on-the-ground medical and security assistance and 24/7 medical advice and assistance. It is credited with establishing the world's first global emergency response center for the aviation industry, and provides immediate, real-time medical and safety assistance, whether in the air, on land or at sea.

Ms. Garrett is a board member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and is the chair of its Associate Member Advisory Council (AMAC). Formerly a member of the Advisory Board for International Aviation Women's Association (IAWA), Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM), and the former vice chair of the Flight Safety Foundation Board. She also consults with aviation industry leaders and government agencies such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, provides Congressional testimony on health and safety issues and consults with private industry on technology applications for distance-based medical care. In 1997 Ms. Garrett was the recipient of the Flight Safety Foundation Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award and received the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2001.