Atvar wrote:
JB,
Great article! Thank you for taking the time to find it, reformat it, and then post it for our reading.
One important thing to point out in the article is the following and how it applies to the rural community of Jefferson county.
"There certainly is a role for helicopters in EMS, but we have them in the wrong places. The majority of the fleet is parked atop hospitals in urban centers where ground transport takes only minutes. They need to be positioned where they will benefit the people who need them the most—those who live in rural settings. That is, they need to be closest to the hospitals and trauma scenes where they can potentially make a difference. The literature certainly supports the role of helicopter transport of critical patients in the rural setting."
In reading the above, one has to admit that Mt. Vernon is not an urban center, but very rural. We have discussed, in this and other forums, the large numbers of automobile accidents throughout Jefferson County. Sometimes the only viable alternative to transporting a patient is with a helicopter.
However, as the article points out, too often is a helicopter summoned when it is not necessary. Therein lies the problem of exacerbating the flight risk to all concerned.
Quite possibly, helicopter life-flights are not necessary in large urban areas where trauma centers are abundant. But in rural communities, everyone, including yourself, should be happy they are available.
Again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.
Very well said Atvar! I completely agree with you on this one! Many of the helicopter flights out of Mt. Vernon are not simple transfers that could be done with an ambulance. MOST are either traumas flown straight from a scene to Good Sam or traumas flown OUT of Good Sam to a Level 1 trauma center. Patients flown in directly from the scene of occurence (nine times out of ten a vehicle wreck) are flown from VERY rural areas. It can take 30-45 minutes to get to parts of Jefferson County in an ambulance! That's just Jefferson county. What about surrounding counties that are looking at longer times than that to get here! A helicopter can get to the hospital MUCH quicker than that (less than 10 minutes MAX)
Do I have written facts on this that I can present to crowd like JB? No..that would be a severe violation of patient confidentiality. All I have is the personal experiences I have had with these situations.