Medflight

MedFlight of Ohio is a not-for-profit, air and ground critical care transportation company based in Columbus, Ohio that completed approximately 8,500 critical care transports by helicopter, mobile intensive care unit and medical airplanes in 2005. Medflight's base of operations is in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio State University Airport (Don Scott Field).

MedFlight of Ohio primarily uses helicopters to perform its mission of transporting patients, and also operates a King Air C-90, and a King Air Beech200 fixed wing aircraft.

History of MedFlight
MedFlight of Ohio was established in April of 1995. MedFlight is made possible by the consortium hospitals including Grant/Riverside Methodist Hospitals (OhioHealth), The Ohio State University Medical Center and Akron General Medical Center. MedFlight also has partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic, Akron Children’s Hospital, and Columbus Children’s Hospital.

In just four short years after it’s inception as a private not-for-profit company, MedFlight offered Ohio the only complete menu of solely owned and operated critical care transport options for pre-hospital and hospital partners throughout its service area.

In ten years, the company has successfully based seven full-time medical helicopters at seven ancillary locations in Ohio. These helicopters and their crews successfully completed over 4,000 patient transports throughout Ohio and neighboring states in 2005 alone.

In addition to helicopters, the company currently operates six Mobile Intensive Care Units (MICU) at four different locations in Ohio, which are utilized for inter-hospital transport. The MICU Division completed approximately 4,000 transports in 2005.

The addition of fixed wing services in 1997 gave Ohio the first solely owned and dedicated three-part critical care transportation entity in the state, providing approximately 8,500 total patient transports in 2005.



In 1994, Columbus based Grant Medical Center and Ohio State University Hospitals announced plans to consolidate LifeFlight and SkyMed, the hospitals’ rotor wing transport services, into a new entity called MedFlight. At that time, both hospitals worked to create a separate company, keeping in mind that the consolidation would save millions of healthcare dollars annually by eliminating duplication and simplifying access to emergency transportation, while maintaining high-quality care.

MedFlight is currently the only critical care transportation organization in the state that offers a network of owned and operated critical care ground and diversified air transportation services with ancillary bases.

After two years of operation, the company was solvent. The surplus from that year and the most recent years are being invested back into the service as MedFlight expands.

In addition, MedFlight’s regional network includes rotor wing bases in seven different counties (Franklin, Union, Jackson, Coshocton, Medina, Morgan, and Tuscarawas counties), MICU bases in four counties (Franklin, Marion, Wayne and Cuyahoga counties), and fixed wing services that can access almost any community airport from Franklin County.

Fixed wing services provide high quality patient care for long distance transfers, while assisting the rotor wing division when weather conditions or extended distances warrant alternative means of transport. The two aircrafts provide services to a market radius of over 700 flight miles to the East Coast, including markets as far south as Florida, as far west as Nebraska, and as far north as Canada. In addition, MedFlight can also arrange jet services while maintaining consistent in-house medical care.

Aircraft
MedFlight of Ohio uses three types of helicopters for patient transport. The BK-117, EC-135 and the AS350. They also operate a King Air C-90, and a King Air Beech200 fixed wing aircraft; as well as 6 MICU ambulances.



Locations


 * MedFlight 1 - Don Scott Field, Columbus, Ohio
 * MedFlight 2 - Allen Center Helipad, Marysville, Ohio.
 * MedFlight 3 - Wellston Helipad, Wellston, Ohio.
 * MedFlight 4 - Coshocton County Airport, Coshocton, Ohio.
 * MedFlight 5 - Lodi Helipad, Lodi, Ohio
 * MedFlight 6 - Morgan County Airport, McConnelsville, Ohio
 * MedFlight 7/Healthnet 4 - Life Ambulance Service Helipad, Portsmouth, Ohio (A joint venture of MedFlight and Healthnet)
 * MedFlight 8 - Harry Clever Field, New Philadelphia, Ohio (A Partnership between MedFlight and Smith Ambulance Service)



Mobile Intensive Care Unit Bases (MICU)


 * MedFlight 11/12 - Columbus, Ohio
 * MedFlight 15 - Marion, Ohio
 * MedFlight 16 - Wooster, Ohio
 * MedFlight 18/19 - Valley View, Ohio

Airplanes
 * MedFlight 31/32 - Columbus, Ohio



MEDCOMM
At MedFlight, Their Communication Center is called MEDCOMM. The MedComm team arranges patient transports safely and rapidly. They offer a team consisting of experienced professionals who are on hand 24-hours a day when people call. Many of these highly trained people are public safety communicators, firefighters, EMS, and hospital professionals with many years of patient care experience. This Communications Center is located at the main offices in Columbus, Ohio