Gundersen Air

Gundersen Air is the air medical transport service of Gundersen Health in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is a hospital programme that flies critical care patients by helicopter. The site now says Gundersen is becoming Emplify Health.

Services

The service runs around the clock and flies adults, children and newborns. The site says the team can launch within minutes and reach patients within a 150 mile radius of La Crosse. Crews can respond to accident scenes when a patient needs more than the scene can offer. They also move patients between hospitals.

The site lists care such as advanced ventilator management, blood product use and chest tube placement. It also lists transport of patients on ECMO, Impella devices and intra-aortic balloon pumps. Other services include burn patient transport, high risk pregnancy transport and a dedicated newborn transport team.

Aircraft and bases

The programme flies Airbus EC145 medical helicopters from regional bases in Decorah, Iowa, and Sparta, Wisconsin. Metro Aviation flies and maintains the helicopters under FAA Part 135 rules. The flight team includes flight nurses and flight paramedics, plus pilots from Metro Aviation. Newborn flights add specialist neonatal nurses and respiratory therapists.

Coverage area

The service covers western Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa and southeastern Minnesota.

Facts

• Type: hospital programme of Gundersen Health
• Bases: Decorah, Iowa, and Sparta, Wisconsin
• Aircraft: two Airbus EC145 helicopters
• Pilots and maintenance: Metro Aviation
• Accreditation: the site states CAMTS accreditation