Air Evac Lifeteam opens base in Middlesboro

Air Evac Life Team Press Release

WEST PLAINS, Missouri — If you live in eastern Kentucky or northern Tennessee, your chances of surviving a serious injury or illness just got better. Air Evac Lifeteam, a membership-supported air ambulance company, just opened a helicopter base in Middlesboro, Kentucky.

The Middlesboro location is one of 32 bases operated by Air Evac Lifeteam in nine states throughout the Midwest and South. The base will serve residents within a 70-mile radius of Middlesboro, extending into Whitley, Knox, Bell, Harlan, Lee, Scott, Wise Norton, Letcher, Perry, Leslie, Clay and Laurel counties in Kentucky, and Hawkins, Hancock, Claiborne, Grainge, Union, and Campbell counties in Tennessee.

Air Evac Lifeteam crews, which include a pilot, paramedic and registered nurse, are on standby 24 hours a day. The crew can respond directly to the scenes of medical emergencies or transport patients from outlying community hospitals to metropolitan areas.

Janie Ward, Air Evac Lifeteam regional nurse manager, said the opening of the base was a cooperative effort between Air Evac Lifeteam and Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Healthcare.

"The hospital was looking for an air medical service to serve their patients on a long-term basis," Ward said. "We told them we could do the job.

"Air Evac Lifeteam has been in operation since 1985 and is dedicated to providing the people of rural America better access to emergency medical care," Ward explained. "People in this region already have access to quality healthcare through the community hospitals and ground ambulance services. We hope to be an extension of that excellent care by providing rapid transport to acute healthcare facilities in critical situations.

"Area residents also can take advantage of Air Evac’s unique membership porgram," Ward said. "If a member uses the service for a life- or limb-threatening emergency, their membership is considered prepayment and they will not be required to pay any portion of the bill. If the member has insurance, Air Evac will bill the insurance company, but members will not have to pay any co-payments or deductibles.

"Although you do not have to be a member to use the service, membership can give you peace of mind knowing that if you ever need the service, your family will not be burdened with a bill that could run between $6000 and $8000," she said.

"Membership is also a good way to support your community," she added. "The membership program allows Air Evac to place bases in rural communities that otherwise might not be able to support an air ambulance service. Even if you don’t ever need the service, your friends or neighbors might."

The membership is valid in all of Air Evac’s 32 service areas. In addition to Kentucky and Tennessee, Air Evac Lifeteam has bases in Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. A new base will be opening this month in Texas.

Yearly memberships are $40 per person, $45 for a couple or $50 for a household. Lifetime memberships are $500.

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

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