Northwest MedStar Expands, Adds Base

SPOKANE, Wash., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest MedStar, the region's critical care transport service since 1994, is opening a base in the Pullman/Moscow area, providing additional coverage for patients in the region. This is another great opportunity for Northwest MedStar to work with local hospitals and EMS personnel to meet the needs of communities.

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"Northwest MedStar continually reviews the needs of its coverage area," said Nancy Vorhees, COO over Northwest MedStar. "In collaboration with our hospital and EMS partners across the region, Northwest MedStar determined a need in the area that is best served by a helicopter base. The population of the region continues to grow, as does the number of medical incidences and injuries that require emergent critical care air transport." 

Starting in mid-June 2012, Northwest MedStar will position an air medical helicopter in the Pullman/Moscow area to serve adult patients.  The base will begin as a 12-hour base and will transition to full-time by the end of July.  Northwest MedStar will continue to support the region's pediatric, neonate and high-risk obstetrics patients from the Spokane and Tri-Cities bases with its specialty perinatal teams.

"As a long-standing partner in our health care community, we welcome Northwest MedStar's new base in our region," said Scott Adams, CEO of Pullman Regional Hospital. "Our community has benefited for many years from the expertise provided by Northwest MedStar's critical care transport teams who work closely with our clinicians to advance the care our patients receive. This local base will benefit patients throughout the greater Palouse region."

This new base will provide much needed coverage for the region and joins Northwest MedStar's existing bases in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake, providing services to eastern and central Washington, northern Idaho, northeastern Oregon and western Montana.

"Having a Northwest MedStar base in the Pullman/Moscow region will help decrease response times to scenes. They know the region and are familiar with our landing procedures," said Lester Erwin, chief of Whitman County Fire District 12 in Pullman. "When the emergency situation warrants air transport, its reassuring to know that we can call for a helicopter and get accurate ETAs and the patient receives the critical care they need."

What differentiates Northwest MedStar from other air transport services is the patient's care team mix and clinical expertise, bringing ICU-level care with respiratory expertise in addition to fast transport to the next hospital. The clinical crew includes a critical care registered nurse dual-certified as a paramedic and a respiratory therapist dual-certified as an EMT.

"Our emergency department staff in collaboration with the Northwest MedStar teams, provide rapid and comprehensive care in emergency medical situations," said  Brian Frei, director of emergency services at Gritman Medical Center who knows the importance of providing specialty care within the 'golden hour' to patients. "MedStar's unique teams include both a respiratory therapist and registered nurse which is further specialized into adult and perinatal specialty teams ensuring patients receive the right resources at the right time."

"These specialized medical crew configurations help ensure each patient gets the specific clinical expertise for their age and condition as they would receive at a hospital specialty care ICU," said Eveline Bisson, program director of Northwest MedStar. "It supports our commitment to achieving the best patient results and to the communities we serve."

Northwest MedStar, a Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) accredited critical care transport program, provides high-quality care and transport to over 3,500 patients each year and is committed to serving the people who live, work and play in the Inland Northwest region. All flights are conducted by, and operational control over all aircraft is exercised solely by Metro Aviation, Inc. A service of the nonprofit INHS, Northwest MedStar also offers a membership program that shields people from emergency air transport costs not covered by health insurance. For more information about Northwest MedStar or the membership program, visit www.nwmedstar.org.

SOURCE Northwest MedStar