St. Vincent Health officials announced plans Thursday to expand access to its air medical program with the opening of a new air medical base of operations at Rush Memorial Hospital in Rushville, Indiana.
Scheduled to open in late April or early May of this year, the new St. Vincent StatFlight base will have a state-of-the-art ‘Bell 407’ helicopter at the hospital and begin service to the east central region of Indiana.
“We are pleased to be able to extend the care and service we provide the community with this important opening,” said Julie Carmichael, chief strategy officer for St. Vincent Health. “The partnership with Rush Memorial will improve access to the highest quality care for patients in and around our community from our faith-based health organization.”
St. Vincent StatFlight currently operates four air ambulances at medical bases in Anderson, Danville, North Vernon and West Lafayette to serve patients and families. The new aircraft in Rushville will be equipped with the latest advanced technologies, including Night Vision Goggles and other high-tech safety features.
Meanwhile, the air medical base at Rush Memorial Hospital where the new aircraft will be located will also bring approximately 13 new jobs to the area. St. Vincent StatFlight and the helicopter operator, PHI Air Medical, LLC., have initiated the process to begin recruiting skilled pilots, mechanics, clinicians and administrative professionals.
“We are very excited about the announcement of St. Vincent StatFlight locating an aircraft here at Rush Memorial Hospital,” said Rush Memorial Hospital CEO, Brad Smith. “Having an aircraft in our community will improve the transport time of patients in critical situations. Our community is very fortunate to have this opportunity once again and we believe that this service will not only enhance the medical care we provide, but will also boost our local economy by bringing much needed jobs through this partnership.”
With operations beginning in late spring 2013, StatFlight is actively promoting its membership program, PHI Cares, in the Rushville area.
“Membership with PHI Cares means that StatFlight will accept the insurance payment as ‘payment in full’ for any medically necessary transport – from one hospital to another hospital or from the scene of an emergency,” explained Sean O’Neal, regional director for StatFlight.
“As a member, when transported by StatFlight, there will be no out-of-pocket expenses for medically necessary transports. It is a vital component to our program, and we are excited to be able to bring this to the Rushville community with the opening of our base at Rush Memorial Hospital,” O’Neal added
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