02.25
As South Dakota’s Population Booms, So Does the Need for Emergency Air Medical Care With so much to explore and enjoy in western South Dakota, it is no wonder the area is teaming with both visitors and new residents. However, the increase in people also brings more car accidents, more lost or injured hikers, more heart attacks and strokes, and more trauma. When emergency strikes, the people of Pennington and Fall River Counties, as well as the surrounding areas, trust Black Hills Life Flight to come to the rescue. The program is part of Air Methods, the largest air medical service provider in the country. With bases in Rapid City and Hot Springs, Black Hills Life Flight provides both helicopter and fixed wing service, and transports patients from emergency scenes or between hospitals for specialized treatment. Quality emergency care helps support not only the people of the region, but also the businesses who employ them. Both can benefit from excellent pre-hospital care that, in many cases, helps shorten recovery times so workers can return to good health and their daily activities as quickly as possible. How Medical Helicopters are Requested When 911 is called for a medical emergency, first responders determine if air service is needed and call for an aircraft. Individuals cannot request air medical transport without first calling 911, and service providers may not self-dispatch. “Air medical care is required when a patient needs to be seen in a hospital very quickly or when the higher level of pre-hospital care air medical teams can provide is necessary,” said Darryl Crown, account executive with Air Methods. “Flight nurses and flight paramedics are highly trained and have specialized skills
and equipment that may not be available in a ground ambulance. Patients should never delay care by waiting for a specific program or aircraft to arrive – the first available aircraft should be utilized for transport to the hospital as quickly as possible.” Black Hills Life Flight has first responder status, and once dispatched, their helicopters can land at the scene of an emergency and begin administering medical care immediately. The aircraft functions like a flying intensive care unit, with best-in-class flight nurses and paramedics who carry lifesaving equipment, medications, and blood on board the aircraft to save lives and improve patient outcomes. “There are incidents in those rural areas that may take first responders [on the ground] an extensive amount of time to respond to the scene due to the distance or road conditions,” said Lawrence County Emergency Management Director Paul Thompson. “It may well be there are times when Black Hills Life Flight is able to arrive at the scene and render medical service prior to other first responders arriving.” Additionally, aircraft can be used to move patients from one hospital to another for higher-level care. It can be difficult to move large or complex medical gear with the patient, so Black Hills Life Flight’s clinical teams are trained to transport patients with specialized equipment. They also have extensive experience in transporting high-risk obstetric and pediatric patients. Those needing to travel a long distance or in inclement weather are transported by fixed wing airplane while those going shorter distances are typically moved by helicopter.
BLACK HILLS, SD