Medical Helicopter Usage In Air Ambulance And Medical Transport Services
The medical helicopter is commonly used in air ambulance services that provide emergency medical assistance and transportation for hard-to-reach places, such as remote areas, and when a regular ambulance can't get there in time. The crews of the air ambulance are provided with equipment for treating a critically ill or injured person. These usually include CPR equipment, an ECG, medication, ventilators and stretchers. The medical helicopter has indeed become a common vehicle used in air ambulance services, although there are times when regular airplanes are also used.
Medical emergencies are mostly unpredictable except during times of war. Thus, they usually require a mode of transport that is very fast once the emergency is reported. When the life of a person is at stake, time is of the utmost essence. That is why helicopters can play a vital role in the rapid transport of patients who need to be treated as soon as possible. During such times, quality helicopter flight training for the pilot is very important. In these kinds of situations, the pilot must know how to perform his job well in spite of the time pressure. In fact, there have been many cases of crashes involving helicopters that are being utilized for medical emergencies. While this can be expected because of the stress that the pilot is exposed to, the training provided by helicopter flight schools is put to a difficult test in such emergencies.
Aside from being utilized as an air ambulance, the medical helicopter can also be applied for medical transport services. In a medical transport service, a patient is brought to the appropriate hospital and the transfer is performed either by air or on ground. A certain fee is often charged by these services but some are available for free. Meanwhile, the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems is striving to enhance the quality of the care provided to the patients and the safety of these transportation systems.
Some examples of these medical transport services are Meducare, Angel Flight, Flight for Life, Children's Flight of Hope and Corporate Angel Network. Meducare transports patients from remote areas while Angel Flight offers its services for free as long as the distance does not exceed 1,500 miles. Flight for Life is a non-profit medical transport program with two helicopters, one doctor, one pilot, one nurse and several in-house staff. Children's Flight of Hope is another non-profit organization but it focuses on the transportation of children who have critical medical requirements. Corporate Angel Network offers free transport for bone marrow donors and cancer patients.
Meanwhile, each state may have several medical transport services. For example, in Wisconsin, a medical helicopter is operated by Country Rescue Services. Others are Flight for Life, Med Flight of the University of Wisconsin, Mayo One, Luke's One, Life Link III, Eagle III, Spirit of Marshfield that is based at Saint Joseph's Hospital, Med-Link Air, Med Flight, and Theda-Star Air Medical. Aside from being helpful during emergencies, these services are also required by patients who need routine treatment such as dialysis.
