Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance

Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance is a hospital programme run by Sentara Healthcare in Norfolk, Virginia. It flies critically ill and injured patients by helicopter. Sentara describes it as a service of Sentara, and says it first flew in 1982.

Services

Nightingale carries patients from the scene of an accident or medical emergency. It also moves patients between hospitals. Sentara says about 35% of flights are scene flights and about 65% are interhospital transfers. Hospital transfers need direct contact between doctors.

The site describes the aircraft as a flying critical care unit. It lists a ventilator, EKG and defibrillators, an intra-aortic balloon pump and an ultrasound machine. Nightingale does not do rescue work, because the crew and aircraft are not equipped for it.

Aircraft and base

The home base is Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, which Sentara calls the area's only Level I Trauma Center. The helicopter is a Eurocopter EC145. The aircraft page lists satellite and onboard weather radar, single pilot IFR certification and night vision capability. Sentara says all FAA Part 135 aviation services come from Metro Aviation, Inc., which keeps operational control of the aircraft.

Who it is for and coverage area

Nightingale flies trauma, cardiac, neurological, medical, pediatric and obstetric patients. The coverage area is a 125 nautical mile radius from the Norfolk base. Sentara says routes reach from Washington, D.C. to Ocracoke Island, and from the Eastern Shore to Charlottesville.

Facts

• Type: hospital programme of Sentara Healthcare
• Base: Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia
• Aircraft: Eurocopter EC145 helicopter
• Aviation operator: Metro Aviation, Inc. (FAA Part 135)
• Flight types: scene, interhospital and rare mutual aid