RE: Ground versus air

["Adams, Kathleen" <KAdams@ahs.llumc.edu>]

Connie,

If you are going to meet with your Medical Director what you really need is
hard and fast facts to present.  The Assoc.of Air Medical Services ( AAMS)
tracks these and they would be the best bet for obtaining that information
the website is www.aams.org. Also what is more important than the industry
in general, is the safety record of the company who will be doing the
transfers. I would get this information from them or check with the local
FAA rep to see what he / she knows about the program. You can also check
with CAMTS ( the air accrediting body) to see if this program is CAMTS
accredited. It is no guarantee of quality, but at least you know they try
harder.

>From a personal stand point, I have been flying for years and I feel safer
in the air than I do on the ground and I don't have to deal with those mad
ambulance eating horses Paul described.

Kathleen Adams
Loma Linda, Ca

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Connie J. Larkin [mailto:cjlarkin@citlink.net] 
Sent:	Thursday, April 12, 2001 18:47
To:	flightmed@flightweb.com
Subject:	Ground versus air

I live and work in a small rural area.  We have a 24 hour emergency room
with approximately 4 hospital admissions per day that require transports
to a receiving facility (closest being 75 miles away).  We recently had
a helicopter service offer to do those transports for us at a fixed
rate.  I am requesting information of the safety of helicopter use
versus ground transport.

We have been using our nursing staff in the back of an ambulance to
transport those patients on roads that are paved, but often have animals
looses.  Examples:  One accident resulted with the nurse in the
emergency room with minor head trauma after the ambulance hit an
animal.  I personally have been in the ambulance when a local resident
was running his horses across the road and we hit and killed a colt.  A
woman's transport to the receiving facility was delayed because of a
vehicle accident and she delivered 10 minutes from the hospital.  Each
time these accidents have resulted in huge repair bills on the
ambulance.

I am only trying to get statistics on the safety of using a helicopter
for stable patient transport.  Our situation is unique at best.  We are
within the continental US, but live in a remote area.  Give me some feed
back please, because I am to meet with our chief of staff by this
Friday.
CJ
Connie J. Larkin
P.O. Box 2893
Kayenta, AZ 86033-2893
H (520-)697-8113
W (520)697-4000
FAX (520)697-3799 (please call before sending fax)
e-mail: cjlarkin@citlink.net