New Air Ambulance Launches in Virgin Islands

March 30–ST. THOMAS — AeroMD, a new air ambulance in the territory, conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at the St. Thomas Jet center to launch their service.

AeroMD has two ICU-equipped jets — a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 and a Learjet 35A — that are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and medical equipment, according to the company’s website.

The planes, which are based permanently on St. Thomas, are available for emergency and non-emergency long-distance flights, and crews are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

The air ambulances offer a full spectrum on-board medical care for infants to geriatrics, and each fully licensed and insured.

AeroMD’s team is capable of administering more than 80 kinds of medications, placing advanced lines and tubes and performing basic emergency surgical interventions as needed, according to information provided by the company.

“Our service provides emergency care similar to what patients would receive at a trauma center, intensive care unit or emergency room — and we provide it in the air,” AeroMD president and chief medical officer Dr. Brendan Anzalone said in a prepared statement. “Our mission is to save lives throughout the region.”

According to Anzalone, air ambulance flights from the Caribbean typically have been arranged by agents who solicit bids primarily from mainland flight companies, which can result in delays, and there is no guarantee that the responding plane will offer acute critical care.

AeroMD can reduce the wheels-up response time to medical emergencies from as much as 72 hours to as little as 60 minutes, according to Anzalone.

According to Stephen Evans-Freke, who helped found AeroMD and serves as chair of the board, the company eventually intends to add planes with the ability to reach trauma centers in Europe.

“Our quick response times, in-flight ICU capability and our jets’ ability to fly long distances to reach a variety of care facilities on the mainland will revolutionize critical care throughout this entire region,” Evans-Freke said in the prepared statement.

Annual subscription fees for the service range from $299 for individual members to $499 for a family of six, with special pricing plans for businesses that would like to offer AeroMD as an employee benefit.

For more information, visit AeroMD.com.

This article was published by The Virgin Islands Daily News on 31 March 2015.

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