County Celebrates Opening of Air Ambulance Base

HUNTINGDON (July 28) — The formal announcement of the Med-Trans/Hospital Wing’s intentions of opening an air medical base of operations in Carroll County was celebrated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony behind Baptist Memorial Hospital - Carroll County.

Carroll County Chamber of Commerce facilitated the ceremony to celebrate the county’s first airbase for Hospital Wing’s medical helicopter. Hospital personnel, officials throughout the county, and the media welcomed the announcement for faster emergency medical services.

Brad Hurley, president of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, welcomed Med-Trans/Hospital Wing to the county.

Andy Rice with Hospital Wing said the Carroll County base begins as a daytime-only base until a hanger can be built along with a headquarters for the staff. Each day, a pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic will man the Airbus EC130 helicopter stationed at the local hospital. It will start each morning at the Selmer base and fly to Huntingdon, weather permitting.

Hospital Wing is the sister company of AirEvac Lifeteam, said Rice. Hospital Wing has bases in Brownsville, Memphis, Selmer, and Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Each aircraft is equipped with blood, plasma, IVs, ultrasound, and other medical equipment. Flights to Memphis or Nashville can be just over 20 minutes compared to two hours via ground transportation. Subscriptions are available to lessen the cost of air transportation.

The air ambulance is part of the emergency network supporting local hospitals and first responders.