INDIANAPOLIS – In a continuing effort to provide premier critical care transport services to communities throughout Indiana, and to better align with Clarian Health regionally, LifeLine Critical Care Transport will soon expand service to Lafayette and Muncie.

Beginning July 2010, LifeLine, which operates 24-hours a day, will offer six base locations in Indianapolis, Lafayette, Muncie, Columbus, Kokomo and Terre Haute.

The new base locations will ensure accessibility to critical care transport for the entire central Indiana community and enable Clarian Arnett and Ball Memorial Hospitals to serve as regional centers for critical care and patient needs in east and west central Indiana.

LifeLine provides patients rapid access to comprehensive critical and emergency care, and is the only hospital-based transport service affiliated with Methodist Hospital, the largest Level I Trauma Center in the state, and Riley Hospital for Children, the region’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center.

Each air transport provides a LifeLine team comprised of a pilot, nurse, and a flight paramedic or respiratory therapist, depending on the needs of the patient being transported. LifeLine transports patients with traumatic, cardiac, neurological and medical needs, and performs more than 1,500 flights annually. LifeLine also specializes in ventricular assist device (VAD), balloon pump and neonatal transports.

“We are delighted to be a part of the Lafayette and Muncie communities, while continuing to serve the Kokomo area, and are extremely pleased to be partnering with Clarian Arnett and Ball Memorial,” said Shelly Maersch, RN, BSN, MBA, director, Lifeline Critical Care Transport. “Having LifeLine helicopters based in these communities will increase our ability to deliver high-quality care to our patients and serve more people in, and between, these areas.”

“With six locations  across the state and the addition of regional hospital centers, we are able to provide much quicker response times and transports, ultimately providing superior patient care to a larger number of people throughout Indiana and beyond,” said Daniel F. Evans, Jr., president and CEO, Clarian Health. “Patients and communities throughout the state deserve access to the best and safest air medical transport teams, which is why it’s important for LifeLine to expand its reach.”

Owned by Clarian Health, Indiana’s most comprehensive health system, LifeLine is the gold standard for both ground and air critical care transport. LifeLine has been providing lifesaving care and service to the central Indiana community for 30 years, including more than 32,000 air ambulance flights. With more than 100 employees, LifeLine is currently the largest patient transport program in Indiana and is the only program capable of providing helicopter, fixed wing and ground ambulance service for all patients.

In addition to being a leading medical transport service, LifeLine staff are actively involved in central Indiana community activities, including training and education programs, and performing mock scenes for area high school students to prevent drinking and driving during prom and graduation season.

About Clarian Health – As a preeminent leader in clinical care, education, research and service, Clarian Health is Indiana’s most comprehensive academic medical center and one of the busiest hospital systems in the United States. Based in Indianapolis, Clarian is comprised of multiple hospitals and health centers throughout the state and maintains a strong partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine–the nation’s second largest medical school and a global leader in medical education and research.