Black Hills Life Flight says it will open a new air medical base at the Hot Springs Ambulance station this summer.
The base will house a Bell 407 helicopter, critical care nurses, and paramedics.
Black Hills Life Flight is part of Air Methods, which calls itself “the leading air medical provider in the country offering critical care and transport in emergency situations as well as moving patients between hospitals for specialized care.
Air Methods spokesman Daryl Crown says the company is “excited to bring increased access to air medical care to the people of Fall River County and the surrounding area.”
The company currently has a base in Rapid City, but Crown says the Hot Springs base will ensure that residents have quicker response times and superior air medical services for emergency and trauma situations “when every minute matters.”
Hot Springs Ambulance Service Director of Operations Jacki Conlon says they’re “very excited” to join with Black Hills Life Flight in this partnership as having another helicopter “will be an invaluable resource not only for the residents of Hot Springs, but for the entire Black Hills.”
Daryl Crown says Air Methods believes everyone deserves access to lifesaving care without the need for memberships, so it is “in-network” with most major insurance providers including Great Plains Indian Health Services.