UCAN University of Chicago Medicine Aeromedical Network

UCAN is the University of Chicago Medicine Aeromedical Network in Chicago, Illinois. It is the hospital system's helicopter program for patients who are seriously ill or hurt.

Services

UCAN flies newborn, child and adult patients. It answers calls from the scene of an emergency, such as a highway or a park. It also moves patients between hospitals, including to the UChicago Medicine Hyde Park campus. When a helicopter cannot fly, UCAN can move the patient by ground ambulance back to UChicago Medicine.

Aircraft and crew

The program uses one twin engine Airbus EC-145 helicopter. It carries two patients, up to four medical crew and one pilot. Every flight has two flight nurses. The crew team is ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Coverage area

The helicopter flies within 200 miles of Chicago. It links community hospitals with the advanced care at UChicago Medicine and other centers in the region. Calls from 911 centers and first responders start scene flights. Doctors and hospital staff call the UCAN communications center to ask for a hospital transfer flight.

Who it is for

UCAN serves patients who need to reach advanced hospital care fast. That includes people hurt at an emergency scene and people in a community hospital who need a bigger center. Referring doctors use the Transfer Center, which is staffed by registered nurses around the clock. It is the single point of contact for urgent transfer requests. The helicopter can land at the scene, such as a football field, and the site says it can respond within minutes.

Facts

• Run by: University of Chicago Medicine
• Aircraft: one Airbus EC-145 twin engine helicopter
• Aviation services: provided by Air Methods
• Ground ambulance: provided by Medical Express Ambulance Service (MedEx)
• Staffing: flight nurses, pilots and communication specialists
• Cases: the site says more than 650 a year