Med-Trans Corporation, a leader in the air medical transport industry, was recently selected by Regional West Medical Center, based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to assume operations of its Air Link Flight Program. Under the proposed arrangement, Med-Trans entered into a long-term agreement to provide aviation services for the program. Med Trans Corporation will assume operations for the flight program March 1, 2009, although the medical staffing, medical director and program management will not change.
New to the program are numerous enhancements and safety features, including night vision capabilities. In March, Regional West Air Link will become the first air medical program in Nebraska to utilize this technology, a feature that adds greatly to the safety of the crew and those on the ground. Med-Trans aircraft are also equipped with additional state-of-the-art safety equipment and features, such as: enhanced vision systems, radar altimeters, GPS navigation, satellite tracking and helicopter terrain alert warning systems (HTAWS). “Safety of the pilots and the crews is our first priority; it is always a unanimous decision of the crew to accept a mission after careful consideration of the weather and outside conditions,” Says, Laurie Soper, Chief Flight Nurse.
Air Link staff and crews have worked diligently to form relationships with the communities, both the in-hospital and the pre-hospital staff, whom they serve. Those relationships will continue, and communities can expect to see more of the Air Link crews in their communities. Plans include increased educational opportunities for partner EMS agencies, increased outreach activities with critical access hospitals, and new in 2009 a mentoring program for EMS services that utilize Air Link. “Air Link staff believes strongly in supporting our partner communities, it is a priority for us to bring education to hospitals and services who may be struggling to retain volunteer firemen or EMS providers. Volunteers are busy and travel is expensive so we hope to aid them in receiving quality education whenever possible,” says Tracy Meyer.
Fred Buttrell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Med-Trans Corporation, said, “Air Link has done an outstanding job of building hospital relationships and servicing EMS systems and communities throughout their region. We look forward to this new partnership and will continue to build upon their programs success under the hybrid delivery model. We will blend the best capabilities of the hospital and Med-Trans to deliver a top-quality service focused on excellent patient care and flight safety”.
Founded in 1995 and serving an area spanning South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Northern Colorado, Air Link will fly their one million mile mark in the summer of 2009.
Med-Trans Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider of air ambulance programs in selected locations throughout the United States, focused on establishing partnerships with leading hospital systems, medical centers and EMS agencies to provide customized air medical programs through specialized delivery formats, including alternative delivery models, community based models or traditional hospital-based models. The company’s extensive fleet of helicopters delivers teams of highly trained medical and flight professionals to patients requiring emergency medical care and transports the patient to the appropriate medical facility. The company has grown from four to 31 programs over the past six years. Med-Trans is a subsidiary of Air Medical Group Holdings, a portfolio company of Brockway Moran & Partners and Meridian Venture Partners.
