Date: 05 Dec 2003
Time: 16:49
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center has announced the addition of an automated flight tracking system, dispatch software and night vision goggles to its Life Flight air medical programme. The improvements help pilots and flight nurses better handle weather, darkness, remote and rugged terrain as well as ground-to-air communication.
Saint Alphonsus Life Flight is reportedly the fourth air medical crew in the US to have these new technologies.
"Saint Alphonsus Life Flight has been transporting the critically ill and injured in Southern Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Northern Nevada for over 15 years," Stan Rose, Life Flight programme director, said. "In keeping with our commitment, we equipped our team with the latest technology to improve the safety and response time of our crew."
The OuterLink(R) automated flight tracking system helps Life Flight pilots locate landing zones and safely fly to the appropriate medical destination. The automated system continually tracks the position of the aircraft and communicates patient data even when the aircraft is beyond radio contact. A PDA (personal digital assistant), with two-way text messaging, allows the medical crew to communicate patient data to the hospital in a complete, confidential manner using a dedicated channel. In addition, GPS (Global Positioning System) data from OuterLink(R) transmits the aircraft's position to the dispatch centre.
New computer-aided dispatch software from Pinpoint(R) Technologies tracks flight operations and patient data for each mission and verifies destinations.
As the first air medical transport service in the region to equip its pilots with night vision goggles, Saint Alphonsus Life Flight crews are able to better navigate mountainous regions in extreme darkness.