NorthFlight to cease operations
NorthFlight, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, has announced that it will be stopping operations on 16 April.
NorthFlight, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, US, has announced that it will be stopping operations on 16 April. According to local news outlet Tuscaloosa News, the HEMS operator has decided not to renew its contract.
The service has been in operation for four and a half years and is currently the only HEMS operator in Tuscaloosa. In its time in operation, the service has transported around 1,000 patients, and had around 12 paramedics and nurses on staff. NorthFlight was a partnership between NorthStar EMS and Air Methods. Whilst NorthStar provided medical staff, services and equipment, Air Methods brought its expertise in aircraft and pilots. Air Methods notified NorthStar three months ago that the company would not be renewing its contract to continue operations in Tuscaloosa, said Edgar Calloway, Director of Operations for NorthStar.
Calloway told Tuscaloosa News: “It’s a very expensive service to operate. It was a fantastic service, and we had a lot of success stories. We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing for 26 years, which is running a ground ambulance service.”
The staff will be reassigned to ground ambulances, and Calloway says that residents will not be losing the level of care, just the aircraft.