Published: May 19, 2006 11:55 pm      

MedFlight Ohio, HealthNet to provide 24-hour helicopter care

Portsmouth — Two nonprofit air medical services and a regional ground ambulance provider will team up to provide 24-hour medical helicopter services in Portsmouth.

MedFlight of Ohio and HealthNet Aeromedical Services will share the new helicopter base in partnership with Life Ambulance Service in Portsmouth.

“By combining efforts for the Portsmouth base with an established, community-focused ambulance service, we will be providing cost effective critical care transport services to the residents of southern Ohio, northeastern Kentucky and West Virginia,” HealthNet president and CEO Chip Sovick said in a press release.

In June, MedFlight and HealthNet will temporarily relocate helicopters to Portsmouth on a rotating basis, according to MedFlight president and CEO Rod Crane. A new aircraft representing both services will be based in Scioto County by September.

“This project is an estimated annual investment of $2 million in the community,” said the base manager of HealthNet’s Huntington operation, Clinton Burley.

The investment is expected to be provided to the community through approximately 20 new jobs and associated purchases.

HealthNet of Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia will oversee the day-to-day operational responsibility of the new base. All medical direction, patient accounts, collections, licensing, credentialing, safety and performance/quality will be the sole responsibility of HealthNet.

All cost related to the development and implementation of the new base will be divided between both HealthNet and MedFlight. Life Ambulance will provide a base location, fuel facility and community referrals to the air medical partners.

Both helicopter services will appoint individuals to serve on the MedFlight/HealthNet Management Oversight Committee (MOC 1). The committee will meet at least quarterly to review all financial and operational aspects of the Portsmouth base. MOC 1 will also direct all other committees to implement the new base, which includes staffing, clinical/training and education.

A radio repeater site will be established in Portsmouth to allow for immediate crew alerts and rapid aircraft dispatching. The tower site will also allow local EMS providers to contact Huntington Medical Command (MedCom) directly for dispatch.

A directed communications link will be established between MedCom, the MedFlight communications center in Columbus and the Life Ambulance Communications Center in Portsmouth. Also, the center in Huntington and Columbus will allow access to the Outerlink satellite tracking feeds. This will allow for more efficient and safe use of air medical resources.

HealthNet Aeromedical Service was formed in 1986; has completed more than 45,000 patient missions; and operates four helicopter bases throughout West Virginia. Its sponsor hospitals are Cabell Huntington, Charleston Area Medical Center and West Virginia University Hospitals in Morgantown.

MedFlight of Ohio was formed in 1995; completed approximately 10,000 combined patient transports a year; and operates six helicopters, five mobile ICU ambulances and two medically configured airplanes. Its sponsor hospitals include OhioHealth, The Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus and Akron General Medical Center.

Both air medical services are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS).

Life Ambulance Service was formed in 1985 and operates 76 ambulance and three Mobile Intensive Care Units. It is a privately held corporation based in Portsmouth and operates emergency vehicles in Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia.