By Jim Roberts
At any gathering as large as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, you’re bound to have the usual run of bumps, scrapes, cuts, and occasionally more life-threatening episodes. To find out how EAA handles these events, I spoke with some of the professionals who volunteer to help keep us all upright.
Connie Campbell, who has been an RN (registered nurse) for over 30 years, is the chairman of EAA Medical, and she captains a crew of nearly 150 volunteers who staff two first aid clinics: one just northeast of the control tower, and another in Camp Scholler near Red One Market Central. The staff includes nurses, EMTs, paramedics, and physicians, using response equipment including local ambulances, ATVs, and Gators.
If you report to a first aid clinic, you’ll first be seen on the front porch, and if you’re lucky, the problem will be treated on the spot. Connie calls this the “Band-Aids and blisters” scenario, where over 3,000 people find relief each year. More serious cases are ushered inside, where small private exam stations are set up. Around 500 people make it to this stage annually.
More serious cases may include chest pains, strokes, kidney stones, and appendicitis. These folks are triaged in the clinic and then transported to a local hospital. And, she cautioned, “If you have chest pain or if someone passes out, call 911 …. Serious accidents or broken bones, call 911.” If you need help getting to the clinic and it’s not a life-threatening situation, contact EAA Security, and they’ll arrange a ride.
Like all EAA groups, the medical staff includes folks from all walks of life. You may be examined by a physician who was a flight surgeon for NASA astronauts, or a doctor who is a member of the Las Vegas police SWAT team. There’s a mother and daughter team here who personify the EAA family: RN Doris Brockman is in her 23rd year as a medical volunteer. Her daughter Esther, also an RN, is here for the first time and said, “It’s like a dream come true. I’ve wanted to serve as a nurse here for the longest time.”
Carole Holtmeier is celebrating her 50th year volunteering with the team. She’s an administrative specialist who makes sure all the I’s are dotted and the T’s crossed. Carole said she got her love for aviation “as a hostess for TWA, flying on the DC-3, Martin 404, and Lockheed Constellation.” A sprightly 95-year-old, her last aerial adventure was parasailing in Jamaica in 2018.
Dr. Joe Simpson is in his ninth year as a medical volunteer. Of working at EAA Medical, he said, “It’s been a wonderful experience. The medical staff are great people, and they’re all very dedicated to their job. And the people we take care of are quite grateful for the services we provide.”
Dr. Joe noted, “We’re the first line of triage for a lot of people, and everybody wants to be at the show, and everybody wants to stay at the show, but once in a while someone will have a fairly serious medical condition. We have our ‘high-suspicion antenna’ out for things like that, and when a life-threatening case arises, we’ll stabilize them and get them to a local medical facility and probably save their lives.”
There’s no better outcome than that.