Why does Air Evac Lifeteam locate its bases in rural locations?
Quite simply, because that is where the most need is (see Critical Facts: Access to Definitive Health Care for Rural Americans). Through locating in a community-based format in rural areas, an air ambulance is positioned closest to the patient who finds himself in a life- or limb-threatening medical emergency, either at the scene of an accident/event or in a rural hospital incapable of providing definitive medical care, and must be rapidly transported into a large, urban medical center for definitive care. If the air ambulance was located at the large, urban medical center, there would likely be a significant “dead leg” to the response while the aircraft flies out to the rural area, thereby risking that patient’s chances of reaching definitive care within the ‘Golden Hour.’ As such, rural base placement is central to the company’s patient first focus.
