The air lifting of patients in the Morehead area should get a little more convenient thanks to PHI Air Medical of Kentucky’s acquisition of a 2007 ECI 35 American Eurocopter. The ECI35 promotes more power, carrying capabilities, autopilot capabilities and a traffic avoidance system. PHI is also celebrating a year anniversary of all their pilots being equipped with night vision goggles.
“It has brand new state of the art invasive settings similar to that of an emergency room,” Base Manager Mike Orr said. “Including advance cardiac monitoring and more settings than most ERs, we put the medical skills in that environment.”
PHI has pilots and flight certified medics and registered nurses on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing two types of flights to its patients: inner facility flights and scene flights. Inner facility flights occur between hospitals as stabilized patients are seen by physicians in need of a higher level of care. Scene flights are from accident scenes to the nearest level one trauma centers.
“We’re the best thing on someone’s worst day,” said membership representative Josh Brand. PHI averages three flights a day out of the helipad located next to the parking lot of St. Claire Regional Medical Center.
PHI also offers a “PHI Cares” initiative aimed at lowering the cost charged to patients being flown. It’s to alleviate the cost that insurance does not cover.
“The program is designed to protect our community from having financial travesty,” Brand said. “Nineteen thousand dollars is the state average flight cost, much of which 50 percent is usually not covered by insurance.”
PHI Cares costs $50 a year for households that already have some type of health insurance and group rates are available for businesses and community groups.
“Get in writing what your insurance will cover as far as flight costs,” Brand said. To sign up for PHI Cares or to get more information, contact Josh Brand at 859-229-5026 or through email at jbrand@phihelico.com.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Rob Ginter photo
PHI gets new helicopter
- Local News
-
-
Goldy wins prosecutor’s race
Morehead attorney Ronnie Goldy Jr. will be the next commonwealth’s attorney in the 21st Judicial Circuit consisting of Rowan, Bath, Menifee and Montgomery counties.
He carried three of the four counties in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and garnered a total of 2,575 votes.
-
Fiscal Court to repair Hamilton Bridge
Updates on the progress of plans for the new animal shelter, Hamilton Road Bridge project and salt purchase agreement were provided Tuesday at the meeting of Rowan County Fiscal Court.
-
Boyhood awe becomes life’s work in butterflies
Richard Hesterberg said he was intrigued by butterflies from his youth, admiring and catching the fluttering creatures. They became his passionate pursuit on the day he saw a photograph in a magazine.
-
DUI suspect flees two accident scenes
Michael Butler, 34, of Morehead, was arrested late Friday after he hit a vehicle, drove away and several minutes later crashed over a guardrail.
-
Voting places get upgrades
Rowan Judge-Executive Jim Nickell said efforts to make precincts at fire stations more accessible to elderly and handicapped voters are nearing completion, just in time for today’s primary election.
-
Uninsured motorists risk cancellation of registration
As mandated by the state legislature, uninsured motorists across Kentucky will begin receiving notices in June that registrations for their personal vehicles will be canceled if they do not obtain required insurance or show proof of existing insurance.
- KSP search for robbery suspects
-
Former MSU student dies after collapsing
Former Morehead State University student and Aramark employee, Justin Story, 28, passed away at UK Medical Center early this morning.
-
Sparse ballot for Tuesday’s primary
Rowan County’s 13,017 voters won’t have many choices to make when they go to the polls in next Tuesday’s primary election. Republicans will see only the presidential primary which has become a formality with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney now the presumptive GOP nominee. Also on that ballot are Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul.
-
Parking issues top Council agenda
Administrative matters took up much of the agenda at Monday’s regular meeting of the Morehead City Council, but the perennial downtown parking issue arose again. Council discussed problems with persons being ticketed during downtown events such as Noon Tunes, and passed a motion directing Mayor David Perkins to identify means to encourage citizens to patronize Main Street businesses over the summer, which may include relaxing downtown parking rules.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Goldy wins prosecutor’s race
