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A message from Jose at the NIH

I got a message from Jose from the NIH. I know he sent it out to those of us with e-mail, but if you're in contact with any of the HPS'ers on an NIH protocol that aren't online, would you please help to pass the message along.

Dear All,

I have good news to share regarding the “non-stop” flight from/to San Juan , Puerto Rico-

As of Nov 1st, United Airlines has re-instated their non-stop flight that our patients had been using and have become accustomed to. For now, there will no longer be any problems with layovers in Miami that the patients had been experiencing throughout the month of October (and the fact that we had to switch them all to American Airlines which caused this layover).
This will also alleviate any foreseen oxygen problems...and there were going to be many, even if it would only have involved one patient!! Because of the fact that any patient having a layover (at any airport) would entail going through an oxygen supplier and renting a portable oxygen tank/pack at nearly $300.00, for the one hour of wait-time in Miami = $600.00 round-trip. Not to mention all the paperwork and time involved to get it done...at each visit, per patient.

Our hope (OMEGA’s and mine) is that United Airlines will continue to offer this non-stop flight throughout 2009. However, as Earlene Little (OMEGA Travel Agent with 37 years of experience) has explained to me...”the airlines can change these flights at will.”

Let’s just hope that’s not the case anytime soon.

Jose Salas
Patient Care Coordinator
National Human Genome Research Institute

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