Lutheran Air reaches 10,000 patient flights
Lutheran Air, an air ambulance program that serves northern Indiana and western Ohio in the US, is celebrating a milestone of over 10,000 patient flights since its launch nearly two decades ago
The 10,000th patient flight was officially completed in the evening of 22 June, 18 years, one month and ten days after the first flight in May 2004.
The crew of Lutheran Air I were met by the leadership of Lutheran Health Network and Lutheran Hospital on the hospital helipad to commemorate the occasion.
“The Lutheran Air program has led to a significant impact in the life-saving care and transport of patients throughout the region in the past 18 years,” said Scot Tuttle, Executive Director of Lutheran Air, Ground and Emergency Medical Services (EMS). “We are proud of the dedication and expertise of our paramedics, nurses, pilots, mechanics and dispatchers, which has allowed us to provide rapid care and transport of more than 10,000 cardiac, trauma, burn, stroke and critically ill patients ranging from our youngest neonatal and pediatric patients all the way up to our oldest adults.”
Lutheran Air is based at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with secondary bases at Portland Municipal Airport, Wabash Municipal Airport and Starke County. It operates a fleet of three Airbus H130, serving patients 24/7 within a 241-km radius.
Lutheran Air is also a member of the Association of Air Medical Services and adheres to all safety guidelines including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards and regulations.
In the UK, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance also celebrated 15 years of operations since its launch earlier this month.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.