Edward R. Eroe, president and CEO of Life Link III. AAMS Photo
During the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) in Nashville, Tenn., the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) was pleased to award the 2014 Program Director of the Year to Edward R. Eroe, president and CEO of Life Link III in Minneapolis, Minn. This annual award is presented in recognition of superior leadership and outstanding service in emergency medical transport.
Edward faced significant challenges when arriving at Life Link III in 2011. Since then, company operations have stabilized, positive culture change is well underway and exceptional improvement in employee engagement is evident. As the CEO, Edward never loses sight of the mission…serving the patient. He ensures this priority by continually striving to improve quality of care while reducing overall costs without sacrificing safety of employees.
Edward fosters professional relationships with employees by regularly participating in observational ride-alongs, providing regular written communications and attending base meetings, regional Open Houses & community events.
Equipping clinicians with leading edge technology included Zoll Propaq X-series monitors, Hamilton T-1 ventilators, Minimed IVAC pumps, Storz CMAC videolaryngoscopes, Maquet Cardiosave Balloon Pump, LUCAS 2 CPR devices, blood products and more. Edward’s focus on the quality of service provided is also evident through his emphasis on utilization of the RSQ911 survey system to measure the quality of service and provide timely follow-up.
Most recently Life Link III purchased 6 new Agusta 119Kx helicopters, providing clinicians increased cabin space and patient access, increased speed, fixed mounts for all medical equipment and the latest avionics package available to improve safety.
Other major accomplishments include:
• installation of helipad cameras at all 9 consortium member hospitals that are monitored remotely by the Life Link III communications center in an effort to enhance helipad safety,
• improvement of Life Link III IT infrastructure to include: backup generator to power communications center, new servers, VOIP phones, videoconferencing technology, general ledger software,
• new ePCR software,
• a state-of-the-art classroom,
• CAMTS re-accreditation in all modes of transport and all patient types
To further improve air medical transport safety, Edward is advocating for our states’ air medical providers to jointly utilize Fleet Eyes, providing regional aircraft location to enhance awareness when multiple aircraft may converge on a single helipad or scene. It will also allow each program to immediately identify the closest, most appropriate aircraft to respond to time-sensitive situations such as scenes, STEMIs, strokes, etc. Edward has been a constant advocate for 100% use of the Weather Turndown web application. This effort provides additional information to flight crews regarding reported and experienced weather conditions by regional air medical programs.
“AAMS offers our heartiest congratulations to Edward for exemplifying excellence in leading a medical transport service,” said Rick Sherlock, AAMS President and CEO. “Life Link III is flourishing under his guidance, and Edward continues to set an example for leadership of transport programs nationwide.”
AAMS would like to offer special thanks to Bell Helicopter, sponsor of the AAMS Program Director of the Year Award.
