Mercy Fort Smith air ambulance on its way; Mercy Life Line set to arrive April 1

March 25, 2020

Source: SWTimes.com

April 1 will bring Life Line air ambulance service to Mercy Fort Smith. This helicopter will help Mercy provide more lifesaving services to the River Valley.

Mercy Life Line has provided air transport for emergency patients since 1984, serving patients in northwest Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. This service operates aircraft that have weather radar, auto pilot, terrain awareness and global positioning satellite technology.

Similar to commercial airlines, it uses special equipment that enable it to fly in some weather conditions when other helicopters can’t.

Mercy Life Line has a 35-year legacy of accident-free service, with roots in Springfield, Mo.

“Mercy Fort Smith is excited about bringing faster, safer health care to those who need it in an emergency,” Juli Stec, vice president of operations for Mercy Fort Smith, said in a news release.

Flight crews include a registered nurse, a paramedic and a pilot who respond to life-threatening emergencies including trauma, medical or obstetrical. Crews respond to emergency scenes and to hospitals to transfer critically ill patients to the appropriate hospital for their condition. Life Line is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems.

“Mercy Life Line is excited to support Mercy Fort Smith along with the other critical access hospitals in the River Valley,” D.J. Satterfield, program director for Mercy Life Line, added in the release. “Life Line brings over 35 years of accident-free service, while providing continuity of care the community has come to expect from Mercy.”

Mercy Fort Smith’s helicopter will be housed at the Fort Smith Regional Airport. It features safety flight equipment such as a terrain awareness warning and traffic avoidance collision systems, ob-board weather radar, and autopilot. The pilots also use night vision goggles when needed.

Clinical equipment on every flight includes an on-board ventilator, CPAP/BiPap, infusion pumps, advanced cardiac and hemodynamic monitoring, and blood and plasma.

Specialty flight includes an intra-aortic balloon pump and impella.

Download Brochure