Air Evac opens base in Perryville
Air Evac Lifeteam has expanded its service area in Missouri with the opening of a base in Perryville.
The base, which began operations on Monday, June 23, 2008, is located at the Perryville Municipal Airport. It is one of 76 bases in Air Evac Lifeteam’s network of air ambulance services. Bases are located in rural communities in 12 states throughout the central United States, including Farmington.
Headquartered in West Plains, Mo., Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently-owned air ambulance service in the country. The company’s business philosophy is based on the belief that air ambulances should be placed in areas of greatest need — rural communities that are often hours away from lifesaving trauma care.
“Statics show people who live in rural communities are twice as likely to die from a critical injury or illness as their counterparts who live in metropolitan areas,” explained Air Evac Lifeteam President Seth Myers. “This is mainly due to the amount of time it takes to reach the level of medical care needed in many emergencies. Our goal is to help decrease that statistic by giving those who’ve chosen to live in rural America equal access to quality health care.
“The opening of this base is part of an oncoming commitment by Air Evac Lifeteam and the health care community in this region to improve access to trauma care for residents of rural America,” Myers said.
Air Evac Lifeteam crews, which include a registered nurse, paramedic and pilot are on call at each base 24 hours a day. They provide on-the-scene medical care, rapid transport to medical facilities and critical care inter-facility transfers. Each helicopter is equipment with state-of-the-art medical equipment and crewmembers are trained in advanced pre-hospital care so medical treatment and care can begin at the scene and continue en route to the hospital.
Air Evac Lifeteam was the first air ambulance service in the country to offer a membership program. Members pay an annual fee and, if they are flown by Air Evac Lifeteam for life- or limb-threatening medical emergencies, they do not have to pay for the flight. Memberships are valid in all Air Evac Lifeteam service areas so members are covered while traveling through Air Evac Lifeteam service areas.
