HealthNet Aeromedical Services

HealthNet Aeromedical Services is a nonprofit critical care transport program based in Charleston, West Virginia. Established over 40 years ago, it provides round-the-clock air medical and critical care transport across Central Appalachia. The program focuses on delivering lifesaving care to patients rapidly, including emergency scene responses and interfacility transfers to higher levels of care.

The company operates a medically equipped fleet of 10 helicopters strategically located at eight air bases throughout West Virginia, including Morgantown, Huntington, Beckley, Lewisburg, Moundsville, Jackson County, Buckhannon, and Martinsburg. These aircraft are staffed by highly trained flight nurses, paramedics, and pilots who provide ICU-level care in the air. HealthNet crews manage critically ill and injured patients such as trauma victims, cardiac patients, stroke cases, newborns needing neonatal ICU, and high-risk obstetrical patients.

HealthNet provides several services, including scene responses where rapid deployment is essential, interfacility transfers to specialized hospitals, critical care transport with advanced life-support, education programs for critical care transport providers, and landing zone training for emergency crews. The organization also fulfills community and event requests, supporting public safety and awareness.

The aviation component includes Airbus H135 helicopters operated by Air Methods Corporation under a contract. HealthNet maintains a focus on safety and quality with a thorough utilization and quality assurance program that evaluates every mission. The program is fully accredited by CAMTS (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems).

HealthNet serves patients primarily in West Virginia and surrounding Central Appalachia by operating three dispatch centers: Charleston MedBase, Huntington Medical Command, and WVU Medical Command. The program is also a founding member of Aeroterra Health, a collaborative nonprofit utility formed to share resources and address industry challenges in medical transport.

With a history dating back to 1986, HealthNet has served over 130,000 patients. It manages EMS agencies such as Mason County EMS alongside partners like Marshall Health Network, Vandalia Health, and WVU Medicine. The program's mission centers on patient care, safety, and regional accessibility of critical medical transport services.

Services

• Air medical transport
• Critical care transport
• Scene responses
• Interfacility transfers
• Flight nurse and paramedic staffing
• Landing zone training
• Critical care transport education
• Community and event medical support
• EMS agency management
• Medical dispatch services