Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Announces New Air Ambulance Service Partnership with HealthONE's AirLife Denver

DENVER, Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is expanding its emergency care across the region with the addition of an AirLife Denver medical helicopter service in Cheyenne. The new service is a partnership between Cheyenne Regional and HCA-HealthONE, which operates AIRLIFE Denver.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111111/LA05488)

Cheyenne Regional's new blue and sonic green helicopter will be stationed in Cheyenne and will provide air ambulance coverage for southern Wyoming, western Nebraska and northern Colorado communities starting in early 2012.

"One of the keys to providing the best healthcare is to provide that care quickly," said Dr. John Lucas, Cheyenne Regional CEO. "Having an air ambulance based in Cheyenne will help us do just that. Medical transportations that once took an hour or more will now take only minutes. Whether it is a trauma from a car accident or person suffering a heart attack, we will now be able provide high-level care in a fraction of the time it historically has taken."

Cheyenne Regional will also have access to two AirLife Lear Jet 31s through the new partnership. These jets have a top speed of 500 mph, are equipped with superior safety systems for extreme weather conditions and will offer another means of providing emergency care and transport for patients in this region. The service will provide a primary flight nurse team as well as four AirLife specialty teams—High-Risk Obstetrics, Neonatal transport, Intra-aortic balloon pump team, and a Stroke-Certified Transport team.

"Rapid access, combined with quality critical care services during transport to higher levels of care, is proven to significantly improve patient outcomes," said Dr. Lucas. "That is our goal—to save lives and offer the best possible chance for recovery."

The partnership is part of a national trend toward locating medical helicopters on the perimeter of metropolitan areas to provide quicker access to more rural communities.

"This new partnership will allow Cheyenne Regional and AirLife to reach more patients, in more areas, more quickly, while providing the high-quality care our patients and partners seek and deserve, 24 hours a day," says Jana Williams, program director for AirLife Denver.  

About Cheyenne Regional Medical Center: Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is a 222-bed regional healthcare system that prides itself on delivering the highest standard of quality care to meet the region's growing healthcare needs. The hospital's physicians and employees, state-of-the-art facilities and advanced technologies ensure patients will receive exceptional care close to home.

AirLife Denver is the Emergency Medical and Critical Care Transport Service of the HealthONE system of hospitals, clinics and healthcare plazas, providing air and ground critical care transport for both adult and pediatric medical and trauma patients.

About HealthONE: HealthONE is the largest health care system in the metro Denver area with more than 9,000 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. HealthONE hospitals have a long and trusted legacy in the densest area going back more than 130 years with St. Luke's, more than 85 years with Presbyterian Denver, more than 105 years with Swedish and more than 60 years with Rose.  The current health system was created in 1995 as a Colorado company and a joint venture between The Colorado Health Foundation and various affiliates of HCA.  The Foundation grew to the second largest charitable foundation in the state and in October 2011 sold its share in HealthONE to HCA (NYSE: HCA).

HealthONE  includes: The Medical Center of Aurora; North Suburban Medical Center; Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center & Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children; Rose Medical Center; Sky Ridge Medical Center; Swedish Medical Center; Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital; Centennial Medical Plaza (affiliated with The Medical Center of Aurora); Swedish Southwest ER (affiliated with Swedish Medical Center); 14 stand-alone ambulatory surgery centers; 8 occupational medicine & rehabilitation clinics; dozens of specialty clinics; two radiation oncology centers ; and AirLife-Denver, which provides critical care air and ground transportation across an eight-state region.  

Leslie K. Horna
Public Relations, HealthONE
303.584.6100 | c. 303.523.1978
HealthONEcares.com | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

James Watson
Public Relations, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center
307-633-7669 | Pager: 307-771-8506
Crmcwy.org| Facebook |Twitter

SOURCE HealthONE