Close Call
CASE STUDY #215
A grandfather suffers a medical emergency during a family trip overseas
FAMILY’S CHALLENGE
When families travel internationally, they don’t always think ahead about what they will do if they encounter a health crisis – or need to leave the country quickly in the event of political unrest or a natural disaster such as an earthquake. The challenges can be even more acute when their members don’t speak the local language or are unfamiliar with country customs. In a crisis, minutes and hours can matter. During a vacation to Asia, this family’s patriarch collapsed and was hospitalized. Concerned about the quality of care, the family reached out to Paladin for support.
PALADIN’S SOLUTION
Within a few hours, Paladin arranged for immediate medical evacuation, coordinating the response across a 14-hour time zone difference and streamlining the patient’s transfer to the U.S. for advanced medical attention. After the crisis had been resolved, Paladin’s experts met with the family and established planning to support its future needs for travel advisories including monitoring and analysis of risk drivers such as local customs, political climates, socioeconomic environments, travel safety concerns and the availability and maturity of in-country healthcare experts and facilities.
VALUE TO THE FAMILY
This family greatly appreciated Paladin’s support at a critical moment. The principal’s father continues to enjoy travel and experience all that life has to offer. In the weeks that followed, the family upgraded its formal arrangement with Paladin, shifting from a project- or assignment-specific basis to comprehensive private client services.
The Project Manager’s Thoughts on this Engagement
“It’s really important that an emergency plan, however brief, be prepared whenever a family member travels internationally -and in some cases, domestically.
Take the time to think through potential risks and threats. Have an emergency response and evacuation plan in mind before the onset of an event.
In specific instances, the Paladin team can accompany or develop a guarding asset formation of team members and former colleagues to provide the required protective detail for regions worldwide with heightened security-related risks.”