By Laura French
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — A Tennessee air ambulance service has been named Air Medical Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS).
Vanderbilt LifeFlight, a subsidiary of Air Methods, is the first air medical program in Tennessee to receive the honor, according to an Air Methods press release. The award, which is sponsored by Airbus Helicopters, recognizes air ambulance services that have “demonstrated a superior level of patient care, management prowess, high quality leadership through visionary and innovative approaches, customer service, safety consciousness, marketing ingenuity, community service, and a commitment to the medical transport community as a whole,” according to AAMS.
“After careful review of all the candidates for the Program of the Year, Vanderbilt LifeFlight rose to the top in best practices for crew safety and innovative patient care during its past 36 years of operation,” said AAMS President and CEO Cameron Curtis, in a statement. “We are thrilled to recognize the hard work and dedication of its entire team.”
The award was presented on Oct. 26 and an official recognition will be conducted during the virtual AAMS Air Medical Transport Conference held Nov. 2-4. Vanderbilt LifeFlight members and leadership have also been recognized by the AAMS in past years; former Flight Nurse Kevin High received the Crew Member of the Year award in 2004, and Executive Director Jeanne Yeatman received the Excellence in Transport Leadership award in 2005. The service is operated by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in partnership with Air Methods.
“Air Methods is proud of our strong relationship with such a respected partner as Vanderbilt Medical Center to provide emergency air medical services through Vanderbilt LifeFlight,” said Air Methods Corporation CEO JaeLynn Williams, in a statement. “It is a combination of Vanderbilt’s clinical expertise and Air Methods’ aviation excellence that will allow the program to continue to lead the air medical industry and we look forward to many more years serving communities throughout the state of Tennessee.”