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Air Evac Lifeteam Expands Operations in Oklahoma
Woodward, Okla. - Air Evac Lifeteam, a rural air ambulance provider, has announced plans to expand its service area in Oklahoma with the opening of a base in Woodward.
Ground was broken Monday, March 26 for the base, which will be located just north of the Woodward Regional Hospital at 1620 Santa Fe St. It is scheduled to begin operations in early June, and will be one of more than 70 bases in Air Evac Lifeteam’s network of air ambulance services. Bases are located in rural communities in 11 states throughout the central United States. The base will provide employment for 12 to 15 employees and will serve communities within a 70-mile radius.
Air Evac Lifeteam, headquartered in West Plains, Mo., 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.
“People who live in rural communities are twice as likely to die from a critical injury or illness than their counterparts who live in metropolitan areas – mainly due to the amount of time it takes to reach medical care,” said Air Evac Lifeteam President and CEO Colin Collins. “Our goal is to 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 ongoing commitment by Air Evac Lifeteam and the health care community in this region to improve access to trauma care for residents of rural America,” Collins said. “We would not be able to offer this valuable service without the support of many people, including Woodward Mayor Bill Fanning and the city council, Alan Riffel, Doug Haines, Woodward Regional Hospital CEO Troy Taubenheim, and numerous other emergency service agencies and city and county officials. The added support from 911 centers and emergency services in Woodward as well as the surrounding counties has been phenomenal.
“The people of this region are very fortunate to have access to quality health care services through their local hospitals and EMS providers. Our goal is to be an extension of that excellent service by providing rapid transport in critical medical situations,” Collins added. “We commend these local officials for recognizing the benefits this lifesaving resource will be to the patients they serve.”
Mayor Fanning said he is pleased about Air Evac Lifeteam’s decision to place an air ambulance service in the region.
“Having an Air Evac base in Woodward gives our citizens peace of mind that they will have access to the best medical care possible,” he said. “It’s a great addition to our community and to our hospital, and we feel this will make our community even stronger.”
Woodward Regional Hospital CEO Troy Taubenheim echoed those sentiments. “We are excited to welcome Air Evac as a part of our healthcare community,” he said. “The commitment of Air Evac to locate a medical emergency flight base in Woodward will provide the communities of the tri-state area with a greater sense of security and confidence in the speed of emergency healthcare access.”
Taubenheim added that “this air ambulance service will also complement what is already in place with the Woodward County EMS and other ground ambulance services in the area.”
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 equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and crewmembers are trained in advanced pre-hospital care so medical care can begin at the scene and continue en route to the hospital.
Air Evac Lifeteam was one of 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.
Annual memberships are $50 for an individual, $55 for a couple and $60 for a household or three or more.
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