Credit: Courtesy of AirMedCare Network
Jason Swihart's family was among the first to sign up for the AirMed Care Network (AMCN), with Air Evac Lifeteam as the air ambulance provider, when the membership initially was offered in Weatherford,Okla. To him, it wasn't a hard decision. As a first responder himself — once a firefighter, now in law enforcement and still a tactical medic — he had seen, first-hand, too many instances of lives and limbs lost because higher levels of medical care were out of reach via ground ambulances.
Weatherford is a small, vibrant town located in southwest Oklahoma. It's fast growing, but lacks easy access to a Level One trauma facility. Level One is a designation given to a facility that is capable of providing definitive care for every aspect of injury and illness, including emergency medicine, neurosurgery, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, pediatric and critical care. Level One facilities are exclusively located in large urban centers.