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| Baptist Health
Care is the area's only provider of an emergency medical transport
system. Serving North Florida and South Alabama, Baptist
LifeFlight is available to transport patients needing immediate,
emergency care. Centrally located at Baptist Hospital,
Baptist LifeFlight provides coverage within a fifty-nautical-mile
radius of Pensacola and often provides support beyond that
distance if medically necessary. Operating 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, Baptist LifeFlight can be airborne
within minutes of a call, traveling at speeds in excess of
130 miles per hour. This significantly reduces the transport
time of critically ill patients either from a transferring
facility or from the scene of an emergency. |
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Visit
Baptist LifeFlight's Website
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Baptist LifeFlight is staffed by a team of highly
skilled and experienced personnel. The Baptist LifeFlight
communications center is the core of the team. Dispatchers,
who are certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs), work
behind the scenes coordinating vital information and resources. Emergency
medical care and critical transport require teamwork among emergency
medical services (EMS), law enforcement, fire departments, hospitals,
physicians and nurses. In some cases, patients may need
ground transport by way of EMS. Baptist LifeFlight dispatch
plays an integral part in this effort acting as the command center
and coordinator of such efforts.
Four pilots and a full-time mechanic have been
specifically selected for the team based on experience and
ability. The helicopter takes flight with a registered
nurse possessing paramedic certification and a certified
paramedic. These clinical crew members are highly skilled
in the care of trauma, medical, cardiac and pediatric patients
and have years of experience in emergency medical services. Training
and credentials in advanced cardiac life support, basic trauma
life support, pediatric advanced life support, neonatal advanced
life support and experience in critical care are some of
the core requirements for these highly skilled professionals. Experienced
board certified emergency physicians direct the Baptist LifeFlight
program and complete the team.
The helicopter itself functions as a flying
intensive care unit. The crew has access to advanced
life support equipment such as cardiac monitors, external
pacemakers, ventilators and emergency medications. Baptist
LifeFlight can carry up to two patients at a time in addition
to the crew.
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