Kelly Greene - Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Tuesday Oct. 11, LifeFlight Tallahassee, which is owned and operated by Air Methods of Englewood, Co., closed their air ambulance base which provides life-saving transport to hospitals in Tallahassee.
The 15 employees of LifeFlight were caught by surprise when they went to work recently and were asked to attend a mandatory meeting. In the meeting, they learned that the base would be closing it doors, and they would be reassigned to other locations, within the LifeFlight company.
According to Christina Brodsly, Director of Communication for Air Methods, the closing of the Tallahassee base is unfortunate and is directly related to changing market conditions and the fixed annual costs that equal three million dollars. The air ambulance service at the Tallahassee location which was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year was not utilized enough to keep its doors open.
When speaking with Tammy Stevens, CEO of Madison County Memorial Hospital (MCMH), our local hospital has approximately two patients per month who are in need of an air ambulance. According to Stevens, the hospital uses either Air Methods, with locations in Live Oak and Valdosta, Ga., or ShandsCair, located in Gainesville. Therefore, patients who are in need of being life-flighted from MCMH will not be affected by the base in Tallahassee closing.
According to Teri Lenz-Thigpen, manager of 911 dispatch, the 911 dispatchers follow the guidelines and protocol given by, Lisa Jordan, Director of EMS, when using air ambulance methods. Lenz-Thigpen said when ShandsCair, located in Gainesville, is unable to respond, they will check the availability of other aircrafts in order to get the injured victim to safety. Michael Raines, Assistant Director of EMS, said since Saturday, Oct. 1, there has been only one person in need of life-flight and ShandsCair was used. He pointed out that ShandsCair also has a helicopter located in Perry. Air Methods of Valdosta, Ga., or Live Oak is another option that can be used, therefore, the closing of Tallahassee will not have an effect on 911 dispatch or EMS.
The residents of Madison County can rest easy knowing that if they are in need of an air ambulance they will not be affected by the closing of LifeFlight Tallahassee.