Published February 7, 2007, in the Louisville Courier Journal

STATCARE looks to improve service with Trimble County operation

By Charlie White
The Courier-Journal
 

LOUISVILLE — STATCARE air-ambulance service is planning a new hub in Trimble County.

The facility in Milton, Ky. -- just across the river from Madison, Ind. -- will provide 24-hour service, with a nurse, paramedic and helicopter pilot.

"Not only will this be a big asset to patient care in our county, but also to the counties surrounding us," said Chief Ronnie Barnes of Milton Volunteer Fire & Rescue.

The hub will be up and running this spring, said Allison Simpson, a STATCARE spokeswoman.

The ambulance service, formed by downtown Louisville hospitals in 1982, has its main base at Bowman Field in Louisville and added a second near Interstate 65 in Glasgow in 1999.

"We are dedicated to providing air medical services to the rural communities of Kentucky and Southern Indiana and look forward to providing safe, speedy and high-quality care to the citizens within these communities," said Karen Moulton, program director of STATCARE.

The hub in Milton will cut the time it takes to transport patients from both sides of the Ohio River to trauma centers in Louisville or Cincinnati, or to King's Daughters' Hospital in Madison, Simpson said.

A helicopter taking off from Louisville must fly for 20 minutes just to reach a wreck on I-71 in Trimble County -- almost halfway to Cincinnati -- before flying to a hospital.

After the hub is set up, a chopper will be stationed about a three-minute flight from Madison.

The hub's $4.3 million Eurocopter EC-135, a twin-engine chopper, will cruise at about 160 mph and be able to carry two patients or a patient and a relative, plus a crew of three.

Simpson said officials are not sure about the cost of the Trimble base, which will include crew quarters and a landing pad that's along U.S. 421.

The fire department owns eight acres there and will either lease or donate about two of them to STATCARE, said Assistant Fire Chief Jason Long, who also works for the Kentucky State Police.

The rural area around Madison and Milton is one of the highest users of STATCARE, Simpson said.

In September, STATCARE was sold to Pittsburgh-based CJ Systems Aviation Group, which already owned the agency's three helicopters and had been providing pilots, maintenance and other services since 1996. Under the restructuring, CJ Systems also began providing medical crews.

STATCARE continues to be under the medical direction of University Hospital in Louisville.

About STATCARE

STATCARE is Kentucky's oldest air ambulance in Kentucky, and, to date, has flown more than 20,000 missions. STATCARE's services include emergency helicopter, fixed-wing, and ground transport missions. STATCARE's administrative offices and regional communications center are located at Bowman Field in Louisville, Kentucky. The program is owned and operated by the CJ Critical Care Transport Group, a division of CJ Systems Aviation Group. For additional information, visit STATCARE's Internet site at www.statcare.org.

About CJ Systems Aviation Group

CJ Systems Aviation Group is a leading provider of air medical services in the United States. Operating a fleet of approximately 120 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, CJ Systems manages air medical services for hospital and communities at more than 85 base site facilities nationwide. The company employs more than 800 across the United States and is headquartered near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For additional information, visit the company's Internet site at www.cjsystemsaviation.com.