Hope Air provided over 1,800 Prince Edward Islanders with help in covering the cost of medical-related travel in 2025. 

That’s a 17 per cent increase over the previous year and a P.E.I. record for the national charity, which provides non-emergency support to patients in financial need who have to travel long distances for care that’s not available to them in this province.

Jaclyn Sullivan, the director for Hope Air in Atlantic Canada, said it isn’t a surprise P.E.I. residents have to sometimes leave the province to access care. She said the organization is able to provide its services in partnership with Health P.E.I. and the provincial government. 

“We saw more than three times the number of travel arrangements provided in 2025 than we did just three short years ago,” Sullivan said. “We’re very thrilled to be able to have that impact.”

The nearly 6,000 medical trips Hope Air assisted with last year included:

• 314 flights.
• 1,462 Confederation Bridge passes.
• 72 ferry passes.
• 1,538 gas cards.
• 1,637 nights of accommodation.
• 797 meal vouchers.
• 108 airport ground transportation trips.

Sullivan said, for some Islanders, an overnight stay at a hotel or travel off-Island could represent a significant financial burden that forces a patient to make difficult choices.

“Do I go to this doctor’s appointment or do I put food on the table this week?” she said. “No one in Canada should ever have to be faced with that kind of choice.”

Sullivan attributes the increase in use to more awareness, as well as the rising cost of living.

“Of course it’s concerning that that need is growing, but what we’re most concerned about is ensuring that we’re still here, able to help as long as we can.”

P.E.I.’s Department of Health and Wellness said in a statement that it’s “proud” of its long-standing partnership with Hope Air, and that government’s out-of-province travel support programs have covered costs of accommodations and meals for Islanders who have to travel for medical care.

“Travel and associated costs should never be a barrier to accessing essential health-care services,” the statement reads. “We remain committed to reducing those barriers, ensuring Islanders have access to the health-care services they need, whether here at home or in another province.”

Getting the care needed

Some of the conditions that force Islanders out of the province for care include cardiac issues and cancer, as well as organ transplants and pediatrics that see families go to the IWK in Halifax or SickKids in Toronto.

The top destinations for Islanders include Halifax, Moncton and Saint John, N.B. Flights could take patients to Toronto or Montreal and all the way to Alberta or the U.S., as necessary. 

“It’s a really important part of our health-care system because you want to go somewhere where the physician has the expertise that you need for your specialized condition,” Sullivan said. 

“You need to travel somewhere where there’s someone who sees that condition often and where the facility is suited to treat that condition.”

Sullivan said Hope Air conducts an annual survey that shows nearly half of patients consider cancelling or postponing medical appointments or treatment due to the financial burden.