Meet Air Evac Lifeteam
Air Evac Lifeteam was established in 1985 by a group of citizens in the West Plains, Missouri area who believed air medical transport was a critical healthcare need for residents of the rural Missouri Ozark region. In that area, as well as many of the areas Air Evac has grown to serve, most residents live more than an hour from a level 1 or 2 trauma center, making them twice as likely to die from an an accident or urgent medical condition than their urban counterparts due to inability to receive care within the “golden hour.”
The privately-held company has grown from one helicopter base location in 1985 to more than 97 bases today, covering Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. Each base location includes a flight crew, mechanic, helicopter and landing pad, and usually includes a hangar and crew quarters. Flight crews consist of a pilot, registered nurse, and a paramedic.
“Air Evac Lifeteam has been serving the Quincy area for several years,” said Penny Roberts, membership sales manager. “In fact, Quincy is base number 5 for the company. Quincy's Air Evac staff includes four pilots, four registered nurses, and four paramedics – plus our program director, a mechanic, and myself,” said Penny Roberts, membership sales manager. “We have an excellent staff – they are very passionate about what they do and are always ready to fly and to help patients.”
“When people think of Air Evac, they often think we primarily transport patients who were injured in an accident in a rural area. While it is true that the heart of our company is in rural America, Air Evac plays a much larger role in transporting patients; the number of hospital-to-hospital transports continues to grow,” said Roberts.
“When patients are in need of critical specialty care – such as a burn unit - not available at their local hospital, Air Evac gets patients to the specialty care they need much more rapidly than ground transport. Just because you live and work near the hospital does not mean you will not have a need for our services.”
In her role as membership sales manager, Roberts works with individuals, organizations, and businesses to make sure people are covered with Air Evac Lifeteam membership. Membership covers the cost of a flight in the event that air medical transport is needed due to a life- or limb-threatening injury or urgent medical crisis, such as a heart attack or stroke.
“I can't emphasize enough how important it is NOT to have to pay $20,000 for a flight,” said Roberts. “For the price of a tank of gas, your family can be covered for an entire year.”
Since joining the Air Evac team six years ago, Roberts has routinely promoted Air Evac membership at several area events and health fairs, and continues to speak to clubs and organizations about the importance of air medical service and membership. However, the rising cost of healthcare and providing employee benefits has increased the awareness of Air Evac Lifeteam membership among business owners and human resources professionals.
“Companies can provide the valuable benefit of Air Evac membership for less than 3 cents per hour for their employees,” said Roberts. “Even if the company does not pay for the membership, making sure employees know about Air Evac and have the opportunity to become a member is beneficial and a great way to show your employees you care.”
“Air Evac Lifeteam is a great company and all our employees share a passion for helping our patients and their loved ones,” said Roberts. “Hearing the testimonials from patients and their families is the best part of my job. I go home every night and feel good about what I do.”
For more information on Air Evac Lifeteam, or to schedule Roberts to come to your business, club, or organization, call (217) 779-3744 or visit www.lifeteam.net.
