Month: February 2025

CareFlight to replace 1991 AS365N2 with AW169

Posted on by rwbuck

Premiere Health | February 17, 2025 | Dayton, OH

The four Premier Health Hospital Foundations have announced a system-wide campaign to raise $13.5 million for a new CareFlight helicopter. This advanced aircraft will replace a 34-year-old Dauphin helicopter, the oldest in Premier Health’s fleet.

The new aircraft, a Leonardo AW169, will set a new standard for air ambulance services in the region, offering unmatched speed, enhanced safety features, and cutting-edge technology. Capable of reaching speeds up to 200 mph, the new aircraft is capable of carrying two patients simultaneously along with a care team consisting of nurses, paramedics, and a pilot.

“CareFlight has been a vital lifeline for our region for more than 40 years, providing critical care when it’s needed most,” said Michael C. Riordan, president and CEO of Premier Health. “This new generation of aircraft reaffirms our commitment to our mission – To Care. To Teach. To Innovate. To Serve – by providing our community with the highest level of emergency medical services for decades to come.”

The enhancements in safety and technology on-board the new CareFlight AW169 will include APU mode, which allows the rotor blades to stop during patient loading and unloading, as well as advanced avionics like a four-axis autopilot system, night vision goggle compatibility, and collision avoidance systems.

“As aviation technology continues to evolve, it’s essential that we stay at the forefront to meet the dynamic demands of our life-saving missions,” said Amanda McClure, MHA, BSN, RN, vice president of service integration, Emergency and Trauma Institute at Premier Health. “This new aircraft represents a significant leap forward in our ability to provide the highest level of care.”

Since the program started in 1983, CareFlight has transported and cared for nearly 90,000 patients. The program’s helicopters and Mobile Intensive Care Units serve a 150-mile radius from Miami Valley Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center in Dayton, which includes most of Ohio and parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and West Virginia. The program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems since 1994.

“The Care in the Air campaign is about more than funding a new aircraft—it’s about investing in the future of critical care for our region,” said Jenny M. Lewis, MBA, CFRE, system vice president of philanthropy at Premier Health. “Every gift to this campaign will help save lives and provide hope for families during their most vulnerable moments.”

Leonardo S.p.A. in Italy is assembling the new CareFlight aircraft, which is anticipated to enter into service by spring 2026.

Premier Health’s four hospital Foundations, including Atrium Medical Center Foundation, Good Samaritan Foundation-Dayton, Miami Valley Hospital Foundation, and Upper Valley Medical Center Foundation, are asking the community to support this life-saving initiative through their Care in the Air campaign. Donations of all sizes are welcome and will directly contribute to the purchase of the new CareFlight aircraft.

To learn more about the campaign or to donate, please contact the Premier Health Hospital Foundations at (937) 208-2700 or visit premierhealth.com/foundations.

Silly Season of Hospital Air Ambulances

Posted on by rwbuck

February 21, 2025 | alecbuck.com | Danville, PA

Interesting story with Stanford Life Flight and Christiana Care. In early January of this year, N245CC was delivered to Stanford Life Flight in California. Had been reported that this 2022 Airbus BK117D3 was originally slated to go to Christina Care in Delaware, to the point of photos being posted in the Christian Care livery (this aircraft has gone thru reg changes from D-HBKE to N151AH to N245CC).

Instead of receiving a new D3, Christina Care placed N145NK, a C2, into service back in mid 2024. The C2 replaced N117J, a 1990 BK117B1.

Photos from Stanford Life Flight Facebook Feed.

Cleveland Clinic places N971CC in service

Posted on by rwbuck

February 21, 2025 | Cleveland Clinic CCT | Cleveland, OH  

Cleveland Clinic CCT placed N971CC in service earlier this month. This 2023 Airbus MBB-BK117D3 is the first of three scheduled to be placed into service with Cleveland Clinic CCT this year. The other two aircraft are N979CC (which arrived in Ohio in January 2025) and N972CC (no update available).

With the transition away from their fleet of Sikorsky S76 aircraft, this ends the era of the S76 in the northeast United States. At one time the S76 was also in service with Boston MedFlight, Geisinger Life Flight, Allegheny Life Flight, and University MedEvac.

Photo from Cleveland Clinic CCT Facebook Feed.

Boston MedFlight expanding into New Hampshire

Posted on by rwbuck

February 5, 2025 | Boston MedFlight | Boston, MA

 Boston MedFlight, a globally recognized nonprofit organization providing critical care medical transport services to patients since 1985, is pleased to announce plans to expand its operations to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (“Pease”) beginning on or around March 1st, in order to reduce response times and minimize delays in access to lifesaving medical care for critically ill, injured, and other high-acuity patients in Southern New Hampshire.

Boston MedFlight will station one helicopter along with a highly trained three-person crew – including a pilot, critical care transport nurse, and critical care transport paramedic – at Pease daily as weather and operations permit.

By strategically positioning these additional resources, this day base expansion aims to:

  • Support first responders in Southern New Hampshire in providing immediate critical care.
  • Ensure safe and efficient patient transport to the appropriate hospital, whether in New Hampshire, Boston, or elsewhere.
  • Enhance critical care coverage across the entire region through close collaboration with our partners, including DHART (Dartmouth Hitchcock Advanced Response Team) and LifeFlight of Maine.

“As a nonprofit, every decision we make at Boston MedFlight is guided by careful consideration and a commitment to our patients’ best interests, and this was no different,” said Maura Hughes, CEO of Boston MedFlight. “Based on this patient-first mindset and our initial analysis of the opportunity at Pease, we are confident that this initiative has the potential to benefit even more communities in the area and expand access to the highest-quality care, regardless of a patient’s location or ability to pay for our services.”

“One of the most essential responsibilities of an airport is to serve its local community. Boston MedFlight’s decision to base a crew and aircraft at Portsmouth International Airport provides an invaluable resource to the region — an amenity we all hope no family will ever have to use,” Executive Director Brean of the Pease Development Authority (PDA) said. “But if the need arises, it’s reassuring to know that precious, life-saving minutes can help transport our community members to the world’s best-specialized healthcare at a moment’s notice.”

Tiffany Eddy, the PDA’s spokesperson, stated that Boston MedFlight “designed routes so there would be no impacts to abutters.” The routes they’ll be flying out of Pease were specifically selected for “noise mitigation,” she said.

“Formally expanding our operations to Pease is a natural step for Boston MedFlight that will enable us to respond even faster to patients in the region and ensure they receive the necessary care as soon as possible,” added Rick Kenin, Chief Operating Officer-Transport at Boston MedFlight.

For more information about Boston MedFlight and its lifesaving mission, visit https://www.bostonmedflight.org/.

About Boston MedFlight:
A nonprofit organization founded in 1985, Boston MedFlight has transported more than 100,000 patients, including over 6,000 patients in 2024 alone. The organization provides comprehensive medical transport services by air and ground to patients in New England and beyond. Boston MedFlight works in close partnership with local and regional healthcare systems to ensure timely access to high-quality and specialized care. Operating as mobile intensive care units (ICUs), all Boston MedFlight vehicles—including its fleet of seven helicopters, a jet, and nine critical care ambulances—are equipped to provide advanced life support and critical care during transport.
 
For more information, please contact:
Erin Erban
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
774-573-3941
erin.erban@bostonmedflight.org