The BBC will begin broadcasting a prime-time television series that follows the Great North Air Ambulance Service (bases in Northest England, Cumbria and N. Yorkshire). The "Air Medics" series begins on Oct 31.

A Flight Chaplain Round Table Discussion will be held at the Air Medical Transport Conference 2008 (AMTC 2008) in Minneapolis, MN on Monday, October, 20th from 4:00pm to 5:00pm in Room 200 J of the Convention Center. One of the goals of the discussion group will be to move toward establishing an Association of Professional Flight Chaplains (APFC).

The flight chaplain round table discussion will be led by Chaplain Amelie Buchanan as well as Joe Love, flight nurse and chaplain. Chaplain Buchanan has been the Chaplain at Flight for Life of Colorado for 5 years where Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services recognized the flight chaplain program at Flight for Life as a best practice. Chaplain Buchanan’s daily work with crews, staff and managers at Flight for Life will make for an exciting and productive round table discussion with insights into how the daily operations of a flight chaplain can positively impact a flight organization. Chaplain Love works with MedSTAR Transport as a flight nurse, has nationally spoken on clinical topics, and has been working towards developing APFC on a national level for the past two years. By holding the flight chaplain round table discussion we hope to gather support, elicit feedback, and gain ideas about our newly forming association so we can develop actionable goals that better serve the medical flight community.

For additional information on APFC, contact Chaplain Joe Love (jlove@flightchaplain.org) or visit the APFC website www.flightchaplain.org.

With long-term funding for Rescue 7 (MI) still in question, two Southeast Mississippi hospitals are looking at private medical helicopter services as an alternative.

Omniflight has acquired AirLink, the operator for Air Idaho Rescue (Idaho Falls, ID). The program has converted from a traditional hospital-based model to community-based model.

A number of organizations and agencies in the UK are proposing the increased used of flight physicians on medical helicopters.

• 'We take A&E to the patient'
• NHS 'needs flying doctor network'

A new policy is being implemented in Maryland that will require physician approval for EMS to request a Medevac. A panel of national specialists in trauma and emergency medicine is also being formed to review the entire system.

• EMTs, doctors to confer on patients in medevac change
• Panel to Review Maryland Medevac Helicopters

Wren Keller and Michael Todd, both long time members of the HEMS community have created TWITTER accounts that allow you to receive early mobile notification of any HEMS or Public Safety Aircraft that has been involved in a serious incident.

The Bedminster, NJ township planning board has approved the construction of a permanent base facility for NorthSTAR (NJ).

• Funeral Held For Pilot Killed In Medevac Crash
• I-Team Update: Flight Instrument Training
• Funeral Services Held for Rescuers Killed in Medevac Crash

LifeFlight Network (OR) is opening a new helicopter base at the Kelso-Longview airport later this month.