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(GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado, October 23, 2019) – Air Methods, the leading air medical service provider, announced today that its ARCH Air Medical base in Granite City, along with many other ARCH and Air Methods helicopter programs, now carry blood and plasma on every mission. Celebrating 40 years as the St. Louis region’s original air medical service, this new capability continues ARCH’s decades of focus on excellence in patient care, seen in deployment of these lifesaving products.
Air Methods has continuously strived to increase the quantity of aircraft nationwide that carry blood or plasma onboard given advantages for patients affected by traumatic injuries or other conditions that require transfusions
Carrying blood and plasma during air medical missions can be a significant contributing factor in optimal patient outcomes. For instance, patients suffering significant blood loss are at risk for hemorrhagic shock which causes the body’s organs to fail and can lead to death.
According to a New England Journal of Medicine study, the administration of thawed plasma during prehospital air medical transport to patients at risk for hemorrhagic shock was deemed safe by medical researchers and resulted in lower 30-day mortality and faster blood clotting than standard-care resuscitation.
“Flying with blood and plasma onboard our aircraft is the equivalent of carrying a better chance of survival,” said Paul M. Ross, Jr., ARCH Air Medical regional account executive. “The ability to provide patients with potentially better outcomes is another great milestone for our team, particularly for individuals in rural areas facing long ground transport following a traumatic situation. Administration of blood combined with rapid air transport can truly help these patients who otherwise may not survive.”
Leading in Emergency Medical Care and SafetyAdding blood and plasma to ARCH helicopters and the rest of the Air Methods’ non-hospital fleet is only one of several ways the air medical provider continues to enhance safety and empower improved patient outcomes. For example, Air Methods’ patient-centered culture is represented by our dedication to technical standards and training, which leads the air medical industry. Air Methods’ registered nurses or paramedic-level trained clinicians are required to have practiced at least three years in an emergency care or intensive care setting. Clinicians must additionally obtain 100 hours of continuing education every year following Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) standards. Also, every Air Methods mission is reviewed, in part, to identify training or education opportunities. Approximately 30 cases each month undergo an in-depth quality review by clinical quality, education, compliance and risk teams to assure patient safety and best practices for continued success.
Air Methods is investing $100 million over 10 years to ensure that the company’s 1,300 pilots are prepared for the most challenging safety scenarios. Pilots fly the world’s largest civilian fleet of helicopters, which are custom designed and supplied to include clot-busting medications for stroke, monitoring devices, intra-aortic balloon pump in addition to the drug lines, transfer vents and other equipment to ensure a safe and effective transfer to hospital. Helicopters are also fully-equipped with safety features such as night vision goggles (NVGs), XM satellite weather and tracking systems, GPS and helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems.
With blood and plasma on every needed mission, ARCH 1 and the rest of the Air Methods’ aircraft are truly serving as intensive care units in the sky.
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About Air MethodsAir Methods is the leading air medical service, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. United Rotorcraft is the Company’s products division specializing in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. Air Methods’ fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features more than 450 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
Media Contact:Megan SmithAmendola Communications, for Air Methods(404) 408-3379*protected email*
(GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado, October 17, 2019) – Air Methods, the leading air medical service provider, announced today that its ARCH Air Medical base in Sparta (ARCH 4) will carry blood and plasma on its missions to support improved outcomes for patients involved in traumatic injuries or other conditions that require transfusions.
Air Methods has continuously worked to increase the number of aircraft nationwide that carry blood or plasma onboard. This includes ARCH 4 where carrying blood and plasma on its flights was not feasible until now due to supply limitations and the smaller population served in its Southern Illinois service region.
Carrying blood and plasma during air medical missions can be a significant contributing factor in optimal patient outcomes. For example, patients suffering significant blood loss are at risk for hemorrhagic shock which causes the body’s organs to fail and can lead to death. The administration of thawed plasma during prehospital air medical transport to patients at risk for hemorrhagic shock was deemed safe by medical researchers and resulted in lower 30-day mortality and faster blood clotting than standard-care resuscitation, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.
“By carrying blood and plasma on flights, the entire ARCH 4 is certain that we can provide better and more effective care to our patients,” said Kyle Killeen ARCH account executive. “Emergency air medical services have been in high demand due to the continued number of hospitals closing throughout the United States. The people in the impacted areas are relying on services like ours for the best medical attention. Now, the Sparta team is able to take off on missions with another tool to aid in saving a life.”
Leading in Emergency Medical Care and SafetyAdding blood and plasma to ARCH 4’s Bell 407GX helicopter and the rest of the Air Methods’ non-hospital fleet is only one of several ways the air medical provider continues to enhance safety and enable improved patient outcomes. For example, our patient-centered culture is Air Methods’ dedication to technical standards and training, which leads the air medical industry. Air Methods’ registered nurses or paramedic-level trained clinicians are required to have practiced at least three years in an emergency care or intensive care setting. Clinicians must also obtain 100 hours of continuing education every year following Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) standards. In addition, every Air Methods mission is reviewed, in part, to identify training or education opportunities. Approximately 30 cases each month receive an in-depth quality review by clinical quality, education, compliance and risk teams to ensure patient safety and best practices for continued success.
Air Methods is also investing $100 million over 10 years to ensure that the company’s 1,300 pilots are prepared for the most challenging safety scenarios. Pilots fly the world’s largest civilian fleet of helicopters, which are custom designed and supplied to include clot-busting medications for stroke, intra-aortic balloon pump in addition to the drug lines, monitoring devices, transfer vents and other equipment to ensure a safe and effective transfer to hospital. Helicopters are also fully-equipped with safety features such as night vision goggles (NVGs), XM satellite weather and tracking systems, GPS and helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems.
Now with blood and plasma on every needed mission, ARCH 4 and the rest of the Air Methods’ aircraft are truly serving as intensive care units in the sky.
Media Contact:Megan SmithAmendola Communications for Air Methods(404) 408-3379*protected email*
(GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado, October 3, 2019) – Air Methods, the leading air medical service provider, announced today that its ARCH Air Medical base (ARCH 3) will carry blood and plasma on its missions to support improved outcomes for patients involved in traumatic injuries or other conditions that require transfusions.
Air Methods has continuously worked to increase the number of aircraft nationwide that carry blood or plasma onboard. This includes ARCH 3 where carrying blood and plasma on its flights was not feasible until now due to supply limitations and the smaller population served in its Southern Illinois service region.
“Carrying blood and plasma on our missions to better care for our patient community was always a goal of ARCH 3, but this precious commodity was unfortunately unavailable to us,” said ARCH 3 Manager Kristin Ezell. “By partnering with the American Red Cross to ensure a consistent flow of blood and plasma has afforded us this opportunity to deliver higher-quality, evidence-based emergency medical care on our missions and it is a privilege we do not take lightly. We are honored to be able to deliver critical blood transfusions when needed and are enormously grateful to the American Red Cross for helping us protect the communities we serve.”
Leading in Emergency Medical Care and SafetyAdding blood and plasma to ARCH 3’s Bell 407 helicopter and the rest of the Air Methods’ non-hospital fleet is only one of several ways the air medical provider continues to enhance safety and enable improved patient outcomes. For example, our patient-centered culture is Air Methods’ dedication to technical standards and training, which leads the air medical industry. Air Methods’ registered nurses or paramedic-level trained clinicians are required to have practiced at least three years in an emergency care or intensive care setting. Clinicians must also obtain 100 hours of continuing education every year following Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) standards. In addition, every Air Methods mission is reviewed, in part, to identify training or education opportunities. Approximately 30 cases each month receive an in-depth quality review by clinical quality, education, compliance and risk teams to ensure patient safety and best practices for continued success.
Now with blood and plasma on every needed mission, ARCH 3 and the rest of the Air Methods’ aircraft are truly serving as intensive care units in the sky.
(GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado, August 20, 2019) – ARCH Air Medical Service, a division of Air Methods, will celebrate its 40th anniversary this week in St. Louis with current and past crew members present. The event, which will occur on Wednesday, August 21 starting at 10:30 am will be held at 2207 Scott Avenue in St. Louis. Crews and aircraft from all of ARCH’s programs will be in attendance. Crew will also be on hand talking about the history of the program as well as how current day air medical services compare to those of 40 years ago.
Expanding Service to Residents of Southern IllinoisEarlier this year, ARCH unveiled the newest helicopter in its fleet at the Southern Illinois Airport. This new addition is the culmination of several years of work and collaboration between ARCH and Southern Illinois Healthcare to bring a helicopter to the Southern Illinois region. The aircraft will provide lifesaving care to the tri-state area.
ARCH provides essential and lifesaving services to the Missouri and Illinois communities and beyond. During missions, highly trained medical teams care for patients with lifesaving interventions, from providing trauma care after an accident to administering clot-busting medications that must be given shortly after a major stroke to significantly improve outcomes. With the continued consolidation of hospitals and the trend towards centers with specialized heart or neurological care, the clinical support and speed of missions is critical to giving patients the best possible outcomes.
Honoring the ARCH legacyARCH has been committed to the Southern Missouri and Illinois region for more than 40 years. Established in 1979, the organization is a full-service air medical transport provider and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS).
Over the last four decades the organization has acquired or opened multiple new bases and now operates nine bases in the region, including in Granite City, Litchfield, Effingham and Sparta in Illinois and Sullivan, Farmington and St. Louis in Missouri. They also work with Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital to provide pediatric air medical services.
“Illinois and Missouri are similar to the rest of the United States where demand for air medical services will only continue to increase in the coming decades and our lifesaving services will be even more vital,” said ARCH and Air Methods Regional Account Executive Paul Ross. “We are honored to be able to show our continued commitment to the region and look forward to another 40 years of excellence in air medical operations. The ARCH team will continue to work collectively with local officials, EMS agencies, fire departments and hospitals to make sure that our services are effective and efficient for the community.”
Editors’ note:Members of the media are invited to cover the ceremony on Wednesday, August 21 from 10:30 am to 1 pm at 2207 Scott Avenue, St Louis, MO 63103. Media may interview crew about the history of the program. Please contact Paul Ross, Regional Account Executive at Air Methods, (208) 861-1340 or by email at *protected email*if you plan to attend.
About ARCH Air Medical ServiceARCH Air Medical Service was established 40 years ago under the name MARC or Medical Air Rescue Corps. Founded in 1979 by St. Louis University (SLU) Medical Center staffers, MARC became present-day ARCH – the Area Rescue Consortium of Hospitals – in 1987, as St. Louis’ three trauma centers – SLU, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. John’s Mercy Medical Center – partnered in a new, progressive air medical plan. Air Methods acquired ARCH in 2000 and continued the program’s expansion and excellence in air medical operations. Today, ARCH provides comprehensive emergency air medical services to the Missouri and Illinois service areas from its regional helicopter bases
Media Contacts:Paul RossRegional Account Executive, Air Methods(208) 861-1340*protected email*
Megan SmithAmendola Communications for Air Methods(404) 408-3379*protected email*