Air Evac Lifeteam announced they will be opening an air ambulance base in McAllen, Texas, this fall. The base, scheduled to begin operations in October, will be located on the campus of McAllen Medical Center, but will serve all hospitals and communities within a 70-mile radius.

Air Evac Lifeteam, the largest independently owned air medical provider in the United States, provides on-the-scene medical care and rapid medical transport, as well as transfers between medical facilities. The company has been in business for 26 years with its focus on provide air medical services to communities in rural America.

“We’re excited to offer this service to the residents of South Texas,” said Air Evac Lifeteam President & CEO Seth Myers. “We’ve been talking with officials with South Texas Health System and EMS agencies in the area for several months about locating a base in the region to work with them to meet the healthcare needs of their communities. They have welcomed us to the area with open arms. We are happy to make this vision a reality.”

“We are looking forward to our partnership with Air Evac Lifeteam,” said McAllen Medical Center CEO Joe Riley. “Air ambulances are vital when speed and accessibility could make a difference between life and death. As the designated Advanced Level III Trauma Center for the Upper Valley, it becomes even more critical to our patients when minutes matter most. McAllen Medical Center looks forward to the added technology and skill needed to keep a patient stable before reaching the hospital in order to provide superior health care and treatment.”

The McAllen base will be one of 104 bases in Air Evac Lifeteam’s network of air ambulance services and the 21st base in Texas. It will provide employment for 12 to 15 people.

An Air Evac Lifeteam crew, which includes a registered nurse, paramedic and pilot, is on call at each base 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Crew members are trained in advanced pre-hospital care, allowing them to continue medical care at the scene and en route to the hospital. This same training also allows for critical care hospital-to-hospital transfers. The helicopter is also equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including the use of Night Vision Goggles (NVGs). NVGs are particularly useful on nights with little illumination in identifying emergency scene landing zones in difficult terrain, such as mountains and hills, by raising night-time vision to 20/20.

“The people of this region are very fortunate to have quality health care services in place with their local hospitals and EMS agencies,” Myers said. “Our goal is to be an extension of those services when quick medical transport to definitive medical care is needed.

“The opening of this base is part of an ever-expanding commitment by Air Evac Lifeteam and the health care community in this region to improve access to trauma care for residents of south Texas,” he added. “This base will be supported by our other base in southern Texas at Laredo.”

Air Evac Lifeteam was one of the first air ambulance services in the country to offer a membership program. Members pay an annual fee and, if they are flown by Air Evac, they do not have to pay for the flight. Memberships are valid throughout Air Evac Lifeteam service areas, so members are covered while traveling through Air Evac Lifeteam service areas. Annual memberships are $50 for an individual, $55 for a couple and $60 for a household or three or more.

For more information about Air Evac Lifeteam services or employment opportunities, call 1-800-793-0010 or visit www.lifeteam.net.