posted October 29, 2020

(GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colorado, November 3, 2020) – Air Methods, the leading air medical service in the U.S., announced today that it has partnered with MountainStar Healthcare and will open a base in Ogden, Utah on November 3 as, AirLife Utah. The base will serve Ogden Regional Medical Center, Cache Valley Hospital, Brigham City Hospital, Pleasant View Emergency Center, and Lakeview Hospital, and other surrounding community hospitals, to provide emergency air medical services throughout northern Utah, southern Idaho, and southwest Wyoming.

The Ogden AirLife Utah base is located at Ogden Regional Medical Center and will provide air medical services 24/7/365 to the region, responding to emergency medical calls for trauma events such as heart attacks and strokes, pediatric emergencies, and other incidents, as well as providing critical interfacility transports as area hospitals manage the current surge of COVID-19 cases. The AirLife Utah air ambulance is staffed with industry-leading trauma clinicians and pilots with years of experience in the field and carries blood and plasma on every flight. Skilled aviation mechanics ensure the aircraft is always safe and mission ready.

Air Methods and AirLife Utah adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols that include full personal protective equipment (PPE) for crews and decontamination of the aircraft after every transport. The base is committed to treating and transporting any patient who requires care.

During missions, air medical teams execute lifesaving interventions to care for patients, from providing trauma care after an accident to administering clot-busting medications after a major stroke. With the continued consolidation of hospitals and the growing number of rural hospital closures across the U.S., the clinical support and speed of transport is critical to ensure patients receive the best and most timely treatment possible. This includes the rising number of COVID patients throughout the region. All patients who are transported by AirLife Utah also have access to robust patient advocacy services to assist with the post-flight billing process so that they can focus on their recovery.

“We are proud to partner with MountainStar Healthcare to serve patients, particularly during this heightened time of need,” said Michael Jenkins, area manager for the Air Methods North Central Region. “In emergency situations, minutes can be the difference between life and death. Air medical services ensure fast and efficient transport with the best clinicians and pilots in the industry. It is also important to us that we do not require patients to purchase memberships for our services, unlike many other air medical companies, and that our patient advocacy teams help patients navigate post-flight insurance requirements to avoid costly out-of-pocket expenses.”

“I’m pleased that Air Methods will be MountainStar Healthcare’s new partner for air ambulance services, which we will proudly station right here at Ogden Regional,” said Mark Adams, CEO of Ogden Regional Medical Center. “This partnership allows us to continue providing high quality and safe patient care. AirLife Utah’s aircraft and skilled crew will also make interfacility transports possible, as necessary, as COVD-19 cases continue to surge in the region. It is crucial that we have air medical transport capabilities, and we are happy to partner with Air Methods to serve our community.”  

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About Air Methods
Air Methods is the leading air medical service, delivering lifesaving care to more than 70,000 people every year. With nearly 40 years of air medical experience, Air Methods is the preferred partner for hospitals and one of the largest community-based providers of air medical services. United Rotorcraft is the Company’s products division, specializing in the design and manufacture of aeromedical and aerospace technology. Air Methods’ fleet of owned, leased or maintained aircraft features more than 450 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

About MountainStar Healthcare
MountainStar Healthcare is part of the Mountain Division of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare. MountainStar consists of eight Utah hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and numerous physician clinics across the Wasatch Front. The eight HCA, MountainStar Healthcare Hospitals include: St. Mark’s Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, Timpanogos Regional Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, Mountain View Hospital, Lone Peak Hospital, Brigham City Community Hospital and Cache Valley Hospital. Please click here to connect with MountainStar Healthcare on social media.

About HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA) is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 185 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 35 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.

Media Contacts:                                                                                                                
Doug Flanders
Director of Communications, Air Methods
 

Craig Bielik
Director of Marketing & Communications, Ogden Regional Medical Center
(801) 479-2591

Matt Pera
Amendola Communications for Air Methods
(219) 628-0258