Mercy Flights
Encyclopedia
Mercy Flights is a ground ambulance
and air medical transport service based in Medford
, Oregon
.
Mercy Flights was founded as a non-profit organization
in 1949 by George Milligan, an air traffic controller in Medford, after a friend of his died of polio in Southern Oregon
, unable to survive the long, slow ground transport to Portland
.
Through fundraising efforts by schoolchildren, scouts, and others in the community, George Milligan raised enough money to buy the first aircraft, a twin engine Cessna
, which was known as the bamboo bomber. A membership program was established which provided people in the community an opportunity to contribute to Mercy Flights, while insuring that they would be financially covered in the event that they needed air medical transportation. To date, Mercy Flights has flown more than 15,000 patients throughout the western United States. Mercy Flights' ground ambulance service currently serves more than 18,000 patients each year. Mercy Flights currently has two pressurized King Air C-90s. These powerful twin-engine turboprop airplanes are pressurized up to 30,000 feet.
In 1992, Mercy Flights purchased Medford Ambulance Service, expanding operations to include ground ambulance
transportation. This acquisition combined the strengths of these two community service organizations, building on the varied background and experience of each. The decision to expand in this way followed discussions with both Rogue Valley Medical Center
and Providence Hospital, which established the importance of building a regional medical transportation network. In 1993, Mercy Flights acquired Rogue Ambulance, expanding its service area to include the communities of White City
, Eagle Point
, and Shady Cove
.
In the past, the outlying communities of Prospect
and Butte Falls
were served by all volunteer ambulance services, which were struggling with the financial difficulties of operating ambulances in the nineties. Through a cooperative effort, these first responders and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) continue to serve their communities, but now do so as a valuable part of the Mercy Flights organization. These communities benefit from the assurance of consistent, professional emergency medical services
and a stronger economic base, and the EMTs benefit through increased training, improved equipment, and some financial compensation for the crucial role they play.
In 1995, Mercy Flights and Timberland entered a joint effort to provide an emergency helicopter service available to all citizens and agencies within a 150-mile radius of Medford, further expanding the type of medical transportation provided. This added resource allows rapid transport for critical patients, as well as improved access to remote areas. Mercy Flights operates a twin-engine Eurocopter BO-105. It’s fully customized with state-of-the-art in-flight medical equipment. This light, compact helicopter has four rotors with composite blades to ensure maneuverability. All of its main systems (hydraulics, electric, fuel, lubrication) were designed to be fully redundant.
Mercy Flights sponsors an EMS specific Explorer post through the Learning for Life
program of the Boy Scouts of America
. Through this program, young people between the ages of 16 and 21 receive training and experience in EMS and are able to “explore” this as a career option. The young explorers are medically trained at a First Responder level and are used at large public events, scouting events, and disaster relief efforts such as the flooding problems experienced by Jackson County
in January 1997.
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
and air medical transport service based in Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Mercy Flights was founded as a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in 1949 by George Milligan, an air traffic controller in Medford, after a friend of his died of polio in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
, unable to survive the long, slow ground transport to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
, which was known as the bamboo bomber. A membership program was established which provided people in the community an opportunity to contribute to Mercy Flights, while insuring that they would be financially covered in the event that they needed air medical transportation. To date, Mercy Flights has flown more than 15,000 patients throughout the western United States. Mercy Flights' ground ambulance service currently serves more than 18,000 patients each year. Mercy Flights currently has two pressurized King Air C-90s. These powerful twin-engine turboprop airplanes are pressurized up to 30,000 feet.
In 1992, Mercy Flights purchased Medford Ambulance Service, expanding operations to include ground ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
transportation. This acquisition combined the strengths of these two community service organizations, building on the varied background and experience of each. The decision to expand in this way followed discussions with both Rogue Valley Medical Center
Rogue Valley Medical Center
Rogue Valley Medical Center, or RVMC, is a regional medical center located in Medford, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1958, and currently has 378 beds. It is one of two hospitals in Medford, the other being Providence Medford Medical Center...
and Providence Hospital, which established the importance of building a regional medical transportation network. In 1993, Mercy Flights acquired Rogue Ambulance, expanding its service area to include the communities of White City
White City, Oregon
White City is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined White City as a census-designated place . The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with...
, Eagle Point
Eagle Point, Oregon
Eagle Point is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 8,469 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-2000 Census data:...
, and Shady Cove
Shady Cove, Oregon
Shady Cove is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,865 as of July 1, 2009.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles , all of it land....
.
In the past, the outlying communities of Prospect
Prospect, Oregon
Prospect is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It is located along Oregon Route 62 on the Rogue River, in the Rogue River National Forest.- History :...
and Butte Falls
Butte Falls, Oregon
Butte Falls is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 423.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-2000 Census data:...
were served by all volunteer ambulance services, which were struggling with the financial difficulties of operating ambulances in the nineties. Through a cooperative effort, these first responders and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) continue to serve their communities, but now do so as a valuable part of the Mercy Flights organization. These communities benefit from the assurance of consistent, professional emergency medical services
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...
and a stronger economic base, and the EMTs benefit through increased training, improved equipment, and some financial compensation for the crucial role they play.
In 1995, Mercy Flights and Timberland entered a joint effort to provide an emergency helicopter service available to all citizens and agencies within a 150-mile radius of Medford, further expanding the type of medical transportation provided. This added resource allows rapid transport for critical patients, as well as improved access to remote areas. Mercy Flights operates a twin-engine Eurocopter BO-105. It’s fully customized with state-of-the-art in-flight medical equipment. This light, compact helicopter has four rotors with composite blades to ensure maneuverability. All of its main systems (hydraulics, electric, fuel, lubrication) were designed to be fully redundant.
Mercy Flights sponsors an EMS specific Explorer post through the Learning for Life
Learning for Life
Learning for Life is a United States school and work-site based youth program that is a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America. It utilizes programs designed for schools and community-based organizations that are designed to prepare youth for the complexities of contemporary society and to...
program of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. Through this program, young people between the ages of 16 and 21 receive training and experience in EMS and are able to “explore” this as a career option. The young explorers are medically trained at a First Responder level and are used at large public events, scouting events, and disaster relief efforts such as the flooding problems experienced by Jackson County
Jackson County, Oregon
-National protected areas:* Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument* Crater Lake National Park * Klamath National Forest * Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest * Umpqua National Forest -Demographics:...
in January 1997.
See also
- Flight ParamedicFP-CFP-C is an abbreviation indicating that an individual is Flight Paramedic-Certified. This certification is for paramedics who have demonstrated their knowledge of critical care medicine by successfully passing a two-and-a-half-hour exam consisting of 125 multiple-choice questions...
- Emergency medical responder levels by state
- MEDEVACMEDEVACMedical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
- Emergency medical service
- Air Ambulances in the United StatesAir Ambulances in the United States-List of air ambulances:The following is a list of notable Air Ambulances in the United States:* Acadian Ambulance & Air Med Services - Headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana,covers most of the state of Louisiana and parts of western Mississippi...
- Safety of emergency medical services flightsSafety of emergency medical services flightsThe safety of emergency medical services flights has become a topic of public interest in the United States, with the expansion of emergency medical services aviation operations, such as air ambulance and MEDEVAC, and the increasing frequency of related accidents.-Background:Emergency medical...
- Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport SystemsCommission on Accreditation of Medical Transport SystemsThe Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems , is an independent, non-profit agency which audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services as well as ground inter-facility critical care services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria....