LifeFlight: Because Time Matters
Emergency care through LifeFlight
AHN’s emergency helicopter and ground transportation gives our communities access to immediate specialized care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Emergency transport dramatically increases the percentage of sick or injured patients who reach trauma centers within the ideal “golden hour,” after an injury has been sustained.
First regional air medical service
LifeFlight, which operates rom five bases in western Pennsylvania:
- Began in 1978
- Was the first air medical service of its kind in the northeastern U.S.
- Transports patients from four states
Dedicated specialists
The success of LifeFlight is due to the skill and compassion of its flight nurses, pilots, mechanics, communications specialists and support personnel. These highly-trained seasoned pilots and full-time, emergency, medical personnel:
- Are certified for prehospital care
- Have been trained to manage complex cases
Highly skilled medical crews
“Our dedicated, experienced team of flight nurses hold additional certification for prehospital care and have been trained to manage complex cases such as patients requiring intra-aortic balloon pumps or extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation and to perform emergent procedures, generally reserved for physicians,” said Jim Palafoutas, director of operations for the LifeFlight program.
