Alaska's unsung heroes: medevac transport crews daily fight bad weather, time to save lives.

• Author: Morgan, Barbara
• Position: Medical Transport in the 49th State

Tom Lefebvre, director of Planning and Development for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, remembers the old days of medical evacuations, when the standard was to put a critical patient on any plane available. Once, he recalls, a pregnant woman experiencing life-threatening complications had to be loaded into a 737 air carrier with a forklift because she couldn't walk up the steep staircase.

That certainly isn't the standard now. Several medical transport companies in Alaska are setting standards in performing safely, reliably and with quality service to save lives. The crews who work in this industry often battle fierce weather in isolated parts of the state or fast traffic along the city's highways. And in critical care, time is always against them.

In a state where more than 200 rural communities are not connected to a road system, medical transport is an important issue, and a problematic one. Basic medical care is essential, and medevac transports are critical.

With its higher level of health care, Anchorage is the hub for the entire state. Health care is the third largest industry in Alaska, says Greg Thies, marketing director for Evergreen Helicopters of Alaska Inc., a leading medevac company.

Air medical programs operating in Alaska usually are affiliated with specific hospital groups. LifeGuard Alaska at Providence Alaska Medical Center and LifeFlight at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage are just two examples. In addition to these programs, scheduled airlines in Alaska, particularly Alaska Airlines, carry a number of nonemergency patients and their families to hospitals.

+ LIFEGUARD ALASKA

Life Guard Alaska is provided by Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage and is the largest medevac program in the state in terms of the number of aircraft and staff, the volume of service calls and in training.

Aircraft include two fixed-wing jet airplanes, one turbo prop and a helicopter.

Formalized in 1986, LifeGuard has offered service to Alaskans and out-of-state visitors for 20 years. Prior to the mid-'80s, the hospital provided no specific equipment or specialized training just for medevacs. Patients were put on a stretcher and a chartered aircraft; a nurse provided the care until they reached the hospital.

LifeGuard Alaska's program depends on four medical directors: Drs. Vincent Imbrini, an emergency room physician specializing in adult care; Sherrie Ritchie, high risk maternal care; Eric Johnson, neonatal; and Barbara Cooper, pediatrics.

LifeGuard receives about 1,200 calls a year, most of which are during the summer. Helicopters usually offer a 10-minute response time, but only fly within a 200-mile radius of Anchorage. A fixed-wing aircraft operates with a longer response time of 45 minutes. The helicopter...