Clipper Race join forces with PRAXES Medical Group

PRAXES Medical Group has signed on as the Global Medical Emergency Support Partner for the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to provide global medical emergency coverage for Clipper Race crew.

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, PRAXES will provide the Clipper Race with their 24-hour EMdoc service which gives immediate access to physicians who are trained in emergency medicine while their EMwerx software will track the medical information for all participating Clipper Race crew and skippers, allowing specialist care to be delivered during an emergency situation.

PRAXES CEO Susan Helliwell said:  “We are delighted to be partners with the Clipper Round the World Race. Both of our organizations are focused on reducing risk at sea. Our EMdoc service will be on call and ready to respond to crew and skipper24/7. “

In the event of an incident on board during the Clipper Race, the skipper will be able to call PRAXES for medical advice. The on call physician will have access to the crew members’ medical history to be able to diagnose remotely and recommend appropriate treatment.

PRAXES physicians are all highly trained specialists in remote triage, who regularly give telephone advice to naval vessels, oil rigs, air transport programmes, poison information centres and other health professionals in a variety of remote settings.

As well as providing peace of mind for crew and their loved ones, it is expected the service will significantly reduce the number of in-port hospital visits and medevac situations during the race. 

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman and Founder of the Clipper Race said: “The Clipper Race crew will take on the most dangerous oceans in the world during their adventure and their safety is always our prime concern. Having PRAXES’ support during the race will give reassurance to the crew and their loved ones that should anything happen during the race they will have access to the best medical care.”

Nova Scotia native Jim Cole, a crew member on board New York, suffered an injury during the Clipper 11-12 Race.

The 73-year-old from Halifax said: “Had this service been available during the Clipper 11-12 Race, it could have been very helpful when I managed to break a finger on the North Atlantic crossing from Halifax to Ireland.  The doctor who had been on board, had to leave earlier in New York for medical reasons, so we were more or less left to our own devices in terms of dealing with the injury.  No question, the PRAXES service could have played a very valuable role had it been available.”

All Clipper Race crew will be given the opportunity to upload their medical histories to EMwerx prior to the start of the race where it will be kept confidentially in case of emergency.