Medical Evacuation: Saving lives, helping families

Chris Hutton and his wife Julie 

A first-year med student didn’t know that his family membership with AirMed would come into play one day in early 2014

Sandy Kinkade Hutton has been an AirMed member for the past eight years. When she married Kevin Hutton in 2011, she added both her husband and stepson, Chris, onto her membership.

Chris Hutton is a first year med student at American University of the Caribbean located on Saint-Martin island in the Caribbean. Chris had experienced inability to urinate for several days, and finally made a decision along with his wife, Julie, who is a French citizen, to go to the local hospital to be checked by a doctor.

During what would be fairly routine treatment in any metropolitan medical center, the island medical staff was unable to place a catheter and traumatized Chris’s urethra. Then they managed to slice off a segment of a plastic catheter inside Chris’ bladder. His situation went from bad to worse within hours with concerns of peritonitis mounting. “The island surgeon said he had sliced off the tip of the catheter.” It wasn’t until we were back in the U.S. that the urologist told us it was a foot long piece of catheter,” Sandy said.

After the “oops” moment with the catheter, the Hutton’s knew they needed to get Chris off that island and to a higher level of medical care back in the United States. Sandy told him to make the call to AirMed.

Once the call to AirMed was made, AirMed put its operation in motion. “We talked to AirMed the entire time. We heard from them through email and through phone calls, they kept us informed every step of the way,” Sandy recalls.

Chris states "Lying in pain in a bed at night there at the island's hospital, it was the worst feeling, to feel a million miles away from home. Once the crews arrived, everything changed. I knew from the instant they walked in that I was safe, and on the road to recovery."

AirMed arrived, and Chris was transported to the University of Miami Hospital early the next morning. Because it was an international flight, U.S. Customs came to the ramp to check all passports. Chris was transported by ambulance to the hospital. “AirMed even arranged for a taxi to take Julie to the hospital when she was finished with Customs. It was just a level of completeness—AirMed saw to it that nobody was left stranded.” said Sandy.

Chris was taken into surgery in Miami to remove the catheter and assess the situation. A new catheter was inserted and remained in place for 3 days. It was removed, and Chris and Julie were able to return to St. Martin to resume his medical school studies with a new understanding of what it is like to be the patient.

Kevin and Sandy Kinkade Hutton

“The thing that makes this entire event even more remarkable,” Sandy continued, “is that I was a flight nurse for 13 years, and Kevin was a flight physician. I am a past President of the Association for Air Medical Services (AAMS), and Kevin is the current Chairman of MedEvac Foundation International. We really know this industry, inside and out. Neither of us ever, in a million years, thought we’d need to use our AirMed membership. It was SUCH a relief knowing that one call took care of everything.”

“As a flight nurse, I remember arriving at hospitals and the sigh of relief on people’s faces when the flight crew would show up,” Sandy said. “For the first time, I was on the other end of that scenario. I was on the patient side, and I knew professionals were on their way to get Chris off the island and that they were fully able to take care for him. It was such a relief once I knew the medical crew was on that island.”

Dr. Kevin Hutton added, “We want to really stress the fact that you never think it’s going happen to you. You simply never know when something like this will happen. Had we not had the AirMed membership, we’re not sure how this whole thing would have transpired.”

Sandy said, “I’ve seen so many times where people think their health insurance will cover this type of thing and it doesn’t. I’ve kept my AirMed membership all this time because you’d like to think that healthcare is good everywhere, especially on an island known for attracting tourists, but it is not.”

Chris and his family knew that AirMed had their back. Since he’s been back at school, Sandy has helped Chris write a protocol for the medical school he attends to try and put some sort of medevac membership policy in place. “ In the event of a medical emergency such as this, being prepared is the key,” she said. Chris commented, "I don't know what we would have done without AirMed membership. I am so grateful that my family is covered for the future."

Kevin added “We will NEVER be without an AirMed card.” Several of the Hutton’s family members are also new AirMed members.

Be Safe During Spring Break. A Guide for Parents and Students

From Moxie Health

While the biggest problems facing most of the thousands of spring breakers headed to the beach in the next few weeks will be hangovers and sunburn, things can happen, and kids and parents should be prepared.

Before anyone takes off for South Padre Island, Lake Havasu or Cancun, it’s a good idea to set some up some safeguards — and have a plan if something does go wrong. Communication is the first to-do on most spring break safety lists. Know when your kid is leaving, where they’re staying and who they’re going with, and ask them to check in by phone on a pre-arranged schedule.

 If you are the spring breaker, have everyone program the emergency contact information for each member of your group into their phones to avoid panic and delay if something does happen.

Be insured for health emergencies

This is especially important if kids are traveling out of the United States. Many student health insurance plans will not cover injuries sustained out of the country and worse, medical evacuation is incredibly expensive, as much as $100,000 for an international airlift by jet and $50,000 domestically. You can buy both health insurance and medical evacuation insurance to cover travel health emergencies.

“We have a great product we hope you will never have to use,” says Sarah Hanley, director of corporate communications for AirMed. With one call, AirMed will dispatch a medically-equipped jet to evacuate an injured kid back home, not just to the nearest acceptable facility, from anywhere on the globe. The company also has a 24/7 medical logistics team that can give referrals, consultations and prescription assistance for sick or injured people abroad. AirMed also provides transport between domestic hospitals and specialty facilities for treatment. AirMed offers short- and long-term student, individual, and family coverage, with costs ranging from $115-$400.

Read the complete Spring Break Safety article at Moxie Lady Online.

When a business trip turns deadly: how one man made it home alive

Cliff Hawk, owner and president of Texas company KnightHawk Engineering shares the remarkable story of his near-death experience and the AirMed transport that helped get him the care he desperately needed.

"WHERE AM I?"

I suddenly awoke in a hospital bed and immediately noticed everyone was speaking in a language I did not understand. Then to my surprise my two boys and wife gathered around the bed side. I was on a ventilator and could not speak. My wife and sons started relaying the events that had occurred, starting with:

“You are in Seoul, South Korea in the University Hospital.” The story unfolded over the next week, and to this day, I can’t believe the story was about me and the struggle my family had.

Mr. Hawk shared this photo of him being taken aboard
AirMed's Hawker medical jet en route to Seoul, South Korea

Traveling for my company, Knighthawk, I arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (UB) the capital city, at Genghis Khan Airport, then boarded a company plane for a 2.5 hour flight out into the Great Gobi Desert. The job site was at one of the largest copper and gold mines in the world. I started feeling under the weather, and the next morning I decided I better go to the site clinic. Within a matter of hours I had high fever, and it was decided that I must be air evacuated to a major clinic.

"I GOT WORSE."

All of my major organs began to shut down. The Mongolians called the U.S. embassy to start paperwork to transport my body to Houston. They told my wife and sons that I would die, but my wife and family refused to accept it.

My wife injected her knowledge with the help of Houston doctors into the situation.

Changes were made and against the Mongolian doctors’ advice, my wife and sons made the prayerfully thought out decision to life flight me via AirMed to Seoul, South Korea.

GETTING HOME VIA AN AIRMED PLANE

I arrived into Seoul at death’s door, and was immediately taken to the Seoul National University Hospital and put into the Intensive Care facility. I made it through the night and in four days had another major surgery. Soon, my vital signs went to normal, and the doctors said I could be medically evacuated back to Houston.

The last conversation with the doctors in Seoul the night before I left was surreal. “We have no idea why you are still on this earth and how you recovered.”

After six ambulance trips, two major surgeries and two air evacuations, I made it home to Houston alive. Study my story and realize that things can change in a moment. Thank you to AirMed and the rest of the people who helped to save my life.  --Cliff Hawk

Transporting a comatose patient, complicated issues arise

DULUTH, Minn. -- Pakistani officials agree with the family of comatose Pakistani student Muhammad Shahzaib Bajwa that he should remain at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment.

"That's what we have said is give this boy a chance, because definitely the medical facilities here are much better than in Pakistan," said Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, the Pakistani general consul in Chicago.

But as of Friday, exactly two weeks before Bajwa's student visa will expire, the U.S. State Department still hadn't answered the consulate's request that Bajwa's stay be extended until his condition stabilizes, Tirmizi said.

The recovery to that point could take more than a year, said Bajwa's brother, Shahraiz Bajwa, in an interview earlier this week.

Shahraiz, 22, who immediately flew to the United States from Pakistan after learning about the accident, wants his brother kept at St. Mary's because of the superior quality of care here, he said this week. But he's also concerned that his brother might not survive the long flight.

That's possible, an official for a company that specializes in such flights said.

"We don't have data about deaths in flights, but it has happened, yes," said Sarah Hanley, director of corporate communications for Alabama-based AirMed International.

AirMed, which transfers all international patients for the Mayo Clinic, has transported patients who were in comas, Hanley said. And distance is not an issue.

"We have transported patients from Minnesota to places such as Pakistan, or vice versa," Hanley said. "It is possible and done quite often, transports of that long-distance scope."

Read reporter John Lundy's Full Article here.

What if you need medical evacuation?

There isn't a traveler alive who thinks they will be calling an air ambulance at the beginning, middle or end of their trip.  Whether it's a business trip or a bucket list vacation, no one expects to have an accident or be struck with a serious illness while they are away from home. That is where AirMed comes in.

Your health and safety means the world to us

If you become ill or injured while traveling, AirMed will safely deliver you to the hospital of your choice. If you receive a serious health diagnosis and don’t know where to turn, AirMed is there for you, coordinating every aspect of a medical or second opinion referral. This and so much more is the assurance AirMed offers to our members. We strive to be more than just a card in your wallet; we are your peace of mind.

• We cover every trip you take even domestically.
• You don’t have to be critically ill or injured to qualify for a flight.
• There are no deductibles, claim forms or out of pocket expenses.
• Pre-existing conditions are accepted.
• There are no financial limitations for medical transports.

More than simple travel insurance

AirMed is an important enhancement to existing health and travel insurance. Most insurance policies focus on trip cancellation and lost luggage. AirMed focuses on taking care of your healthcare when you need us most. In other words, we save lives, not luggage.

AirMed memberships protect your most important asset: your health. In the midst of an emergency or serious medical diagnosis, reliability and cost should be your last concern. AirMed provides you access to an unsurpassed quality of care, every day of the year.  Find out more about air medical memberships that cover you for one trip or all year at airmed.com 

Winter Driving Tips, Surviving Jet Lag, the Smallest Heart Patient and More

The latest AirMed Travel + Health News is full of great information for all of your travel and health needs this holiday season.  Jet lag? No problem. We've got ways to combat it.  Read all about one of our smallest and most miraculous patients and so much more. 

Click this link to read all the AirMed News and even get a discount code to Give the Gift of AirMed to the travelers in your life!

Visit us anytime at airmed.com to find our more about our life-saving air medical memberships with great benefits such as Second Opinion Referrals, 24/7 Medical Services Hotline and more.

Philippine Typhoon is "Unprecedented Disaster"

© Erik de Castro/Reuters, Courtesy Trust.org

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency coordinator in the Philippines Dr. Natasha Reyes describes the devastation brought by Typhoon Haiyan and what the medical needs are now. 

“Right now we’re operating in a relative black hole of information. We know from the very little we can see that the situation is terrible. But it’s what we don’t see that’s the most worrying. The reports we’re receiving from Tacloban are that the entire city of 400,000 people has been devastated. But there are hundreds of other towns and villages stretched over thousands of kilometers that were in the path of the typhoon and with which all communication has been cut. 

To be honest, no one knows what the situation is like in these more rural and remote places, and it’s going to be some time before we have a full picture. 

Unprecedented Disaster 

This sort of disaster is unprecedented in the Philippines. The effect is something like a massive earthquake followed by huge floods. 

...Our priority is to address the urgent and immediate medical needs, of which we are sure there are many. After that, really it’s everything – shelter, water, food. They’ve lost everything. 

At this early stage, the big issue for us is moving people and aid supplies to the affected area. Tacloban itself has limited capacity for flights, but we are doing our best to get our teams up and running. 

See the full story at the Doctors without Borders site. 

How many travelers require emergency care?

It Happens More Than You Would Think

AirMed is an important enhancement to existing health and travel insurance. Most insurance policies focus on trip cancellation and lost luggage. AirMed focuses on taking care of your family when you need us the most. In other words, we save lives, not luggage.

As an AirMed member, you will receive air medical transportation from any point on the globe if you are ill or injured while away from home. Find out complete details for your family, at airmed.com. 

Being a Flight Nurse Saved My Life

"Love and compassion know no language, no one country."

Thibault, seen here on a desert tour in Abu Dhabi.

Jenni Thibault was a registered nurse in a small town. When she became a flight nurse for AirMed International, her world changed forever. She shares her well-traveled story with us.

Coming from a small, Southern town of less than 13,000 people was a blessing and a curse. I woke up everyday surrounded by the most amazing family and friends, worked in a hospital beside people I had trusted my entire life, some of them were the nurses and doctors who cared for my mother following my birth. Life was easy. Hardly exciting, but it was picturesque and representative of every small town and the slow paced life it has to offer.

Now the curse: 13,000 people. I repeat, 13,000 people. There are apartment complexes in Hong Kong with ten times that many people in a city block or two. How do I know this? Because my ever-moving, ever-changing family lives there. The adventurous side of the family, anyway.

It only took one time visiting to fall in love with Asia. The many cultures represented by the melting pot of nationalities and cultures in Hong Kong blew me away. I would go home to 13,000 people and want more, and then one day opportunity knocked. So, I packed my bags, went through training, and moved to Hong Kong to become a flight nurse with AirMed. I knew that if I didn't go, I’d regret it.

Wait. I'm the team?

Thibault's extraordinary photo of Big Ben

During my flight nurse training, I was reminded of things I hadn't reviewed since nursing school and scared mindless at the possibility of someone crashing on me at 40,000 feet and with no “code team.” 

Wait. I’m the team? Me and just one other person? I quickly learned to love the thrill and the opportunity to restore a person’s faith over an ocean, on their way home, and often following a tragic event.

After coming out of the initial, almost immobilizing, fear of being “alone” in the sky with a critical patient, I started to see the world. In one year, I filled an entire passport. A few months later, my extra pages were a quarter of the way filled.

I've ridden camels in Abu Dhabi, seen Big Ben at a very late evening sunset, stood at the base of a 112 foot tall bronze Buddha in Hong Kong, gotten a sunburn in the Philippines, and stood in front of Vasco de Gama’s tomb in historic Belem, Portugal. That is just off the top of my head. The countries and cities visited are too many to list.

Left: Lantau Peak in Hong Kong;  Right: Fenway Park in Boston

So, as if being a nurse wasn’t enough of a rewarding career, I get to see the world at the same time. In any setting I find myself in, I get to be the person that patients trust. I am able to be a part of their lives when they are most vulnerable, and they want me there. Most people cannot even say that about loved ones or family members, and I get to say it about complete strangers every single time I go to work. 

It quickly becomes evident that there are no strangers on medical flights, not for long anyway.

As an international flight nurse, I see the world through the love of a Muslim for his child, the patience of a Buddhist when travel logistics aren’t perfect, and the empathy of Christian giving up her seat for a sicker person. People say it is such a big world, that people are so different. Maybe we aren’t all that different. 

Thibault (left) and colleague
in Lisbon, Portugal.

I’ve come so far from my 13,000 person town, but I know that when things go wrong, love and compassion know no language, no religion and no one country.

---------------

Jenni Thibault, RN
AirMed International Flight Nurse

Find out more about AirMed memberships which get you home if you are ill or injured while traveling anywhere in the world at airmed.com. 

Vintage Air Ambulance PBM-3S Mariner

 Nostalgic About Air Ambulances? 

Early Emergency Air Evacuation

Wartime publicity photo highlighting the air evacuation capabilities of the PBM-3S Mariner.  From humble beginnings...

Check Out Our Updated Fleet

Find out more about the latest in fixed wing air ambulance transportation by visiting us at airmed.com. 

Air Medical Transport Facts from AirMed

Get to know about air medical transports with AirMed

FACT:  80% of AirMed transports are within the continental United States

• We own our own aircraft; all aviation and medical personnel are AirMed employees. Complete vertical integration sets us apart in the industry, in fact, most travel insurers call on us to move their patients.
• With AirMed, the choice is always yours. Travel insurance will not get you home, only to the ‘nearest appropriate facility’ chosen by them. AirMed brings you home, to your doctor, your family, where you want to be.

FACT: The cost of a regional medical transport is approximately $22,000. The cost of an international transport can rise above $200,000.

FOLLOW UP FACT: 100% of our patients who have had to pay this full bill immediately become AirMed members when they return home. Retail cost of an annual AirMed individual membership: $265.

• Saving lives and bringing you home. AirMed brings you back home to your local hospital or to the hospital of your choice. Think your health insurance will cover air medical transportation? It won’t.

FACT: 25% of all AirMed member transports are to specialty facilities.

• Evacuation and Repatriation from any point on the globe, even as close as 150 miles from home
• Domestic Transports if you need specialized treatment at a hospital in another city
• 24/7 Medical Hotline for emergency physician consultation while traveling

For more information, check out AirMed.com

Larger air ambulance jets offer room for two patients

There's Room for Two in Our Air Medical Transports

Most fixed-wing air ambulances do not have room for more than one patient,
but AirMed's Hawker 800 has two patient capabilities, which can be
vital in obstetrics cases and many other critical care situations.

Visit airmed.com for more information on air ambulance capabilities.

AirMed's Medical Flight Insurance Gets Called Into Action From a Traumatic Vacation

Medical Flight Insurance That Never Fails

An accident can and will happen when you least expect it. Just ask American Bar Association member John Morrow. John is a senior partner with Bradley, Boult and Cummings in Birmingham, Alabama, and has been an ABA member since 1958. He is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America for over 20 years. Not once in his life did he ever think he or any member of his family would need a medical evacuation—especially from a vacation spot he’d traveled to for many years.

In 2010 while vacationing with his wife and daughter-in-law, Morrow’s car was struck broadside by a semi-trailer truck in Colorado. The accident claimed the life of his daughter-in-law, and John and his wife, Martha, were rushed to a nearby hospital. They were both suffering from multiple, severe injuries when they were admitted to a hospital in Ft. Collins.

Because John and his family had a membership with AirMed, they knew that they could return home to their local hospital in Birmingham on an AirMed medical jet, but they didn’t realize just how comprehensive the AirMed service was. 

 “Once my son contacted AirMed, they took it from there. Everything, and I mean everything, was taken care of for us, even the ground ambulance to and from the hospitals,” said Mr. Morrow. “My wife was hurt worse than me, and our son, who is also a member of ABA, stayed in Colorado to help us. During this difficult time, it was extremely comforting that we could all be on the same AirMed jet back home. The AirMed crew was extremely competent, helpful and professional.”

"Everything, and I mean everything, was taken care of for us, even the ground ambulance to and from the hospitals"

AirMed provides award-winning, bedside-to-bedside service to you and your family if you are injured in another country or just across a few state lines. “I can’t express how much AirMed meant to me and my family during that devastating time,” added Mr. Morrow. “AirMed was truly our angel in the sky. Our period of hospitalization was far from over, and we were in no condition to travel any other way. We do not know what we would have done without AirMed.”

American Bar Insurance has arranged for ABA members to receive substantial discounts on annual AirMed memberships. There are no deductibles, no out-of-pocket costs, and no co-pays. AirMed is true peace of mind for any traveler.

AirMed offers comfort to family of a young burn victim with a medical flight to remember

A medical flight to remember

"It was such an ordinary day."  Britta Ann Meadows describes the morning her 22-month old son, Joshua, was finishing his breakfast. "I was tidying up the kitchen and turned my back. In that second, he’d reached from his highchair and pulled our water distiller down on top of himself.

"The bitter irony--the one thing we do to make us healthier harmed my baby; and I was so sure he would not be able to reach it or the cord." But reach it he did. Joshua suffered third-degree burns on more than 30 percent of his body from the boiling water.

In a fog of disbelief, shock, guilt, and the terror a parent feels when their child is suffering, Britta Ann and her husband David were told by first responders that their baby needed to be flown by helicopter from their small central Kansas town to a bigger hospital in Kansas City. "And I couldn’t even go with him…they had to fly him out by himself in the helicopter."

Once at the Kansas City hospital, the Meadows waited to see their baby and to hear what the doctors would tell them. "I was pretty sure I was calmly listening, but it caught me by surprise when they said 'Cincinnati.' It seemed matter of fact, but then, wait…Ohio?? Away from our home, my family?"

The best course of treatment for Joshua was at the renowned Cincinnati Shriners Hospital, and the short one-hour flight could not have seemed more distant to the distraught family.

"AirMed's compassion, respect, and complete ability to care for my child was something I will never forget."

Mrs. Meadows continued, "Realizing I really had no choice--we had to do what was best for Joshua, bravely and trusting God, no matter where that took us and that’s what I wanted to do--I quickly adjusted to another level of motherhood: I had better be able to stay with my child. Before I even asked, they answered my question; yes, one parent could accompany Joshua on the AirMed plane."

The small amount of relief available in that moment flooded through, knowing she would not be separated from Joshua again. All of the flight details were coordinated for the family by AirMed and the hospital staffs. "I was so thankful. I would not have known where to begin!"

"That night, the longest night of my life, the whole AirMed crew worked efficiently and calmly doing their jobs even among my constant questions. I rode on a stretcher for the first time in my life. It seemed the easiest way to calmly transport Joshua, and to hold my baby was exactly what we both needed," Britta Ann continued. "AirMed's compassion, respect, and complete ability to care for my child was something I will never forget."

After landing from the medical flight, the Meadows traveled by ground ambulance to Cincinnati Shriners, and the AirMed team led them to their room to say goodbye. "I felt like they were friends not strangers. They were a lifeline, and it was scary to say goodbye. But they had done their part, and now it was time for the Shriners doctors and nurses to do theirs." AirMed's Family Plans ensure the highest level of comfort.

Cincinnati Shriners Hospital for Children is one of the nation's leading burn care centers and is designed to allow children to recover in a safe, fun and friendly environment.

Mark Washam, director of clinical services at Cincinnati Shriners, commented, "We are always extremely pleased to work with AirMed because we know our patients will be given the highest level of care on their way to us." 

Joshua underwent two successful skin graft surgeries and was soon on his way back home to Kansas where he would continue his recovery and celebrate his 2nd Birthday.

"I was (and am) so grateful for AirMed and the team we had that night. They were the link from Kansas to Ohio who got Joshua there quickly and safely, while reassuring a confused, scared mother who was wracked with guilt...Why had I turned my back? Why had this happened, why, why? They helped me feel in control, assured, confident, and free of guilt. Truly, they helped me set me back on my track of motherhood."

Now back home in Kansas and almost fully healed, Joshua has adjusted well to his ongoing therapy of massages and stretches after his surgeries. He remains eager to learn and spends his time smiling, playing, laughing and giving hugs to all the new people he meets. "Nothing phases him apparently. He is back to his old self--except new and improved," says his mother.

"AirMed was a wonderful gift from God, a lifeline and reassurance of hope during our family’s most traumatic experience," Britta Ann Meadows concluded. "Thank you, AirMed!"

For more information about AirMed's medical capabilities or to remind fellow travelers how to become an AirMed member, visit our website airmed.com.

To find out more about the remarkable work done by the Shriners Hospitals for Children - Cincinnati, visit their site.

What do you do when a loved one dies while away from home?

Transporting Deceased Loved Ones

An AirMed member wrote to us recently with the following story, "Two years ago, my uncle died unexpectedly while we were on a family vacation in Orlando. No one in my family had the first clue about transporting him back home to Illinois. Can you tell me more about AirMed’s benefit of transporting mortal remains?"

Transporting a loved one who has died while away from home is truly one of the most daunting situations any of us could ever entertain in theory, let alone face in actuality. The questions and details seem endless amidst the grief process itself. That’s why all of us at AirMed know the importance of being there for our member and for everyone else involved during such an extremely emotional time. 

We offer the deceased transport as a member benefit for just that reason.  When a loved one dies, the deceased must be taken to a licensed funeral home or mortuary before being transported elsewhere. AirMed’s medical coordination staff is available by phone 24/7 to give you complete assistance with any part of this process, from whatever city you may be in.

As an AirMed member, we will manage all efforts for you, between ground transportation, funeral homes in different geographic locations, and any other arrangements that must be made, and we will keep your family informed during the entire deceased transport process. AirMed has transported mortal remains on our own aircraft but also on commercial aircraft, depending on individual family needs, but you can always rest assured that we will coordinate every detail to bring them to their final resting place.

A repatriation situation—when someone dies in another country—is handled a little differently depending on the laws governing the city and country where the death occurred. The term repatriation literally means ‘to send someone back to the country that is their own.’ In this circumstance, AirMed would arrange the same ground transportation and other details from a domestic transfer, but would also obtain the necessary documentation for the deceased to cross international boundaries.

We extend our sympathies to you and your family on the loss of your uncle. Thank you for taking the time to inquire about this important and too often overlooked benefit of being an AirMed member.

Dennis Scott, MD
Medical Director, AirMed International 

---

AirMed is the premier global air ambulance and medical solutions company that protects your greatest asset: your health. Within the U.S. or internationally, an AirMed membership includes air medical transport to the hospital of your choice with no co-pays or out of pocket costs. AirMed also includes a host of other benefits ranging from transport to a domestic facility that specializes in life-saving treatment, referrals to leading medical consultants, international prescription assistance and more. For more information, visit airmed.com

Travel Health Insurance and Medical Evacuation -- Welcome to the AirMed Blog!

AirMed Welcomes You!  

As a leader in the field of air medical evacuation and the pioneer of the North American air ambulance membership program, AirMed International is launching this informative resource of information about both our company and the various disciplines we serve. From travel health insurance to aviation, we will take a look at the different and fast-changing aspects of our industry.

Throughout AirMed's history, we have continued to be recognized globally as the premier air ambulance and medical solutions company, and our commitment of providing an unrivaled level of service is something that each employee practices on a daily basis. Those on the AirMed team truly feel privileged to work for an organization that makes such a meaningful impact on the people we serve.

This blog is a reflection of our team's dedication and genuine interest in empowering you with meaningful information. We will share stories from the field, health and wellness tips, perspectives from our medical experts as well as highlight innovations and products that we have pioneered for not only the air ambulance industry but for many other industries too. We hope you enjoy this blog and find it insightful and educational. Your feedback and suggestions are welcomed.

--Marc Koretzky, Vice President