VCU Life Evac flying high after first year

By Joe Kuttenkuler

After 450 flights and some 56,000 miles, VCU Life Evac, recently marked its first year of operation. During 2002, the VCU Health System's medical helicopter service traveled as far as Philadelphia to bring a critically ill infant to VCU. Throughout the year, VCU Life Evac logged nearly 470 patient transport hours in and around Virginia.

VCU Life Evac is a partnership between the VCU Health System and Rocky Mountain Helicopters of Provo, Utah. RMH owns and maintains the aircraft and supplies the pilots, while VCU provides a 14-person medical staff made up of critical care nurses and paramedics with one of each flying on each mission.

Along with their extensive backgrounds in surgical trauma and cardiac critical care, each member of the VCU Life Evac medical team also has been trained in the critical care of burn and neurologically-impaired patients.

The VCU Life Evac helicopter is presently housed at Richmond International Airport.