San Antonio Express-News
SAN ANTONIO — Methodist Healthcare has launched Methodist AirCare, its own emergency air transport program to serve residents across Bexar County and South Texas around the clock.
Methodist Healthcare is working with REACH Air Medical Services (REACH) to get the AirCare program off the ground.
The helicopter and staff will be housed at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital, which hosted a ceremony Oct. 21 to mark the service’s operational start.
“Methodist Healthcare has a long history of providing quality care to the residents of South Texas. We are now making it more convenient to rapidly transport patients from rural locales to a Methodist Healthcare facility,” Geoffrey Crabtree, senior vice president for Methodist Healthcare, said in a press release.
“One call can summon a state-of-the-art emergency medical transport helicopter piloted and staffed by a team of highly trained specialists. Whether the need is to rush an infant to a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit, transport a high-risk expectant mom or stroke patient or a myriad of other medical emergencies, Methodist AirCare is at the community’s call 24/7/365,” added Crabtree.
Methodist AirCare will begin by dedicating the helicopter to its pediatric, neonatal and maternal specialty teams in the first month of service. Shortly, Methodist AirCare will evolve to 9-1-1 trauma, scene and adult transports from throughout South Texas to complete the spectrum of air transport care.
Methodist Healthcare officials said REACH was chosen as a partner due in part to its extensive experience in emergency air transport. REACH Air Medical Services is well established and experienced with bases throughout California and Oregon. REACH has performed more than 50,000 air ambulance missions since its inception in 1987.
The bright yellow Methodist AirCare helicopter (pictured) is the Eurocopter EC-135, a twin-turbine engine helicopter renowned for its outstanding reliability and maneuverability.
Its Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rating gives Methodist AirCare the ability to perform in almost any weather condition, even when others cannot.
For added safety, the aircraft is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) and Terrain Avoidance Warning Systems (TAWS).
“The staff and doctors at this hospital are pleased that we were chosen to serve as home base for this new transport service. We have only been open seven months yet we have proven we are filling community needs in North Central San Antonio and rural markets to the north of us,” said Dean Alexander, chief executive officer of Methodist Stone Oak.
“From March through September, we have admitted over 2,400 inpatients, 9,030 emergency department visits and 797 outpatient surgeries. We are already adding beds and expanding services, including beginning an open heart program by year’s end,” he added.
Another Stone Oak-area health care facility, North Central Baptist Hospital, permanently based a San Antonio AirLife helicopter there in early September partly due to increasing needs in the far North Side and the Hill Country.
Copyright 2009 San Antonio Express-News