Title

"Cover Story" piece on LifeFlight of Maine, a company with two small helicopters

Authors

Meg Haskell

Source

Maine Times

Date

3-9-2000

Pages

4-8, 1

Abstract

"Cover Story" piece on LifeFlight of Maine, a company with two small helicopters, one based in Bangor and the other in Lewiston, that have flown about 350 medical missions in and around Maine since it went into business 18 months ago. Executive Director Tom Judge says LifeFlight has reduced mortality and morbidity figures in Maine, but he says it's still too early to say how cost-effective the service is, though the company hopes to at least break even by 2004. The aviation services part of the budget runs around $2 million a year, or 59 percent of overall costs. Judge said it costs $3,800 every time one of the aircraft lifts off the pad. Currently, the service is underwritten by Eastern Maine Health Care in Bangor and Central Maine Health Care in Lewiston. Maine Medical Center in Portland declined an invitation to get involved, but Portland physicians are represented on the advisory board and have reviewed both the protocols and the actual flights. With a related article focusing on two of LifeFlight's cases, including its first and a very recent one.

Subjects

Helicopter ambulances, Lifeflight of Maine

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