On behalf of the Ornge Board of Directors, it is with extreme sadness that we announce the passing of one of our own, Mr. Lorne Crawford.

Mr. Crawford was a tireless supporter and champion of access to healthcare, especially for people living in Northwestern Ontario.

“We at Ornge are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Lorne. He was a dear friend to Ornge and we would like to extend our deepest condolences and support to his family during this difficult time,” said Dr. Chris Mazza, President and CEO of Ornge.

Lorne was first and foremost a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He was an inaugural member of the Ornge Board of Directors, and was heavily involved in many committees. Lorne joined the Ornge Foundation Board in 2008, where he continued to champion the sustainability of the transport medicine system in Ontario. Anyone who had the opportunity to work with Lorne understood his commitment to enhancing the transport medicine system, as well as his ongoing support for extending access to healthcare services to Aboriginal communities.

A recent highlight in Lorne’s contributions to Ornge was his attendance at the opening of Canada’s first Transport Medicine Centre of Excellence in Thunder Bay. This opening demonstrated the advancement of access to healthcare to the communities that Lorne cared so deeply about.

“Lorne’s outstanding contributions to the Ornge board will leave a lasting legacy in transport medicine throughout Ontario. Lorne brought a unique skill set to the board, enabling us to create a solid foundation for a true transport medicine system for the patients of Ontario,” said Rainer Beltzner, Chairman of the Board. “He will be greatly missed.”

For those who wish to pay their respects, Mr. Crawford’s funeral will take place at the First United Church, 23 Van Horne Avenue, Dryden, Ontario on Saturday March 19th, 2011 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, the Crawford family requests that donations be made to the Ornge Foundation or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

ABOUT ORNGE
Ornge is the world’s leading innovator in the emerging field of transport medicine, and operates from a number of bases across the province of Ontario and performs more than 20,000 admissions annually. It coordinates all aspects of Ontario’s aero medical transport system, the critical care land transport program, paediatric transport program and the authorization of air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals. Ornge is dedicated to the provision of high quality patient care through innovative transport medicine.