Air medical caregivers at Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield, Utah will be on duty around the clock to to enhance critical and emergency care.
A new helicopter medical transport base has been opened on the Intermountain Sevier Valley Hospital campus by Classic Air Medical and Intermountain Healthcare to enhance medical transport services for area residents.
Classic Air Medical will begin providing this service on September 1, with a team of three caregivers on base, including a pilot, a critical care flight medic, and a critical care flight nurse. A mechanic will also be on the Sevier Valley Hospital campus.
The flight team will be on duty around the clock to coordinate care seamlessly with Sevier County EMS ground ambulance team, as well as emergency room staff to enhance critical care, when needed.
Classic Air Medical’s commitment is to serve communities with a focus on safety, expert quality critical care, and the highest level of aviation services. This is all done while maintaining affordable rates to patients.
“We’re excited to team with Classic Air Medical to add this service for our patients,” said Brent Schmidt, administrator of Sevier Valley Hospital. “Bringing the resources and expertise of Classic Air to our community enhances our ability to provide patients with the highest quality care possible.”
Classic Air Medical, an Intermountain Healthcare company, provides air medical support from 22 bases across the Rocky Mountains and Desert Southwest with coverage from New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho.
“We’re excited to join with Sevier Valley to continue to serve patients throughout the community to ensure they have access to high-value, coordinated care as close to home as possible,” said Tony Henderson, chief executive officer of Classic Air Medical and executive director of air transport services for Intermountain.
In 2021, Classic Air Medical completed approximately 7,000 flights with its fleet of 28 aircraft, including 16 rotary-wing and 12 fixed-wing units. Intermountain Healthcare acquired Classic Air Medical in 2021 to enhance the health system’s ability to serve rural communities throughout the Intermountain West. Classic Air Medical also operates Portneuf Air Rescue in ID and MedX AirOne in NV.
“Joining Intermountain Sevier Valley is complementary to the outstanding care patients already receive there, and we will work seamlessly with the outreach services, telehealth, and digital solutions developed by Intermountain to better serve patients,” said Henderson.
Community leaders are also excited for the addition of Classic Air Medical services.
“We are excited to have Classic Air based in Sevier County,” said Sevier County Commissioner Ralph Brown. “For a long time, Intermountain Life Flight has assisted our EMS team and it has been greatly appreciated. It will be very beneficial to have a shortened response time. Classic will be a great asset to the county. A heartfelt thanks from all of us.”
“Having Classic Air here will be a real asset to our community,” said Richfield City Mayor Bryan Burrows. “We had approximately 60 transports this past month between air and ground, and the need continues to grow. I’d like to thank Intermountain Healthcare for their commitment to continuing improving our quality healthcare.”
About Intermountain Healthcare
Based in Utah with locations in seven states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Healthcare is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, 385 clinics, medical groups with some 3,800 employed physicians and advanced practice providers, a health plans division with more than one million members called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For more information, see Intermountain Healthcare.