EastCare

Vidant EastCare is the critical care mobile air and ground transport of Vidant Health (VH) at Vidant Medical Center (VMC). It serves 31 counties in Eastern North Carolina.[1][2] It is sponsored by Vidant Medical Center(VMC) and The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. VMC is the only level 1 trauma center east of Raleigh.[3] It is one of nine air ambulances, located in North Carolina, and serves a radius of 230 nautical miles (430 km; 260 mi) around Greenville without refueling.[4] Dave Thomson is the current Medical Director for Vidant EastCare and Scott Sampey is the Program Director.[4][5]

Vidant EastCare
TypePrivate
GenreCritical Care Transport
PredecessorEastCare
FoundedGreenville, North Carolina (April 8, 1985 (1985-04-08))
FounderPitt County Memorial Hospital
Headquarters
Greenville, North Carolina
,
United States
Area served
Eastern North Carolina; Southeastern Virginia
Key people
Scott Sampey, (Program Director, Vidant EastCare);
Dave Thomson, MD, MS (Medical Director, Vidant EastCare);
OwnerVidant Health; Vidant Medical Center
Number of employees
125
WebsiteVidant EastCare

Vidant EastCare can be dispatched for a number of causes, including: trauma, burn, neonatal, high risk pregnancy, hyperbaric medicine, stroke and myocardial infarction.[6] Vidant EastCare is most often sent for cardiac patients, followed by trauma, pediatric and neonatal patients.[7] The only air crash occurred on January 8, 1987 when everyone on board perished.

In January 2012, Vidant Medical Transport changed its name from EastCare as part of a system wide renaming initiative. In October 2014, Vidant Medical Transport became Vidant EastCare.

History

On December 18, 1984, the PCMH Board of Trustees budgeted $754,119 to set up a helicopter ambulance service.[8] EastCare was established by PCMH on April 8, 1985.[9] On June 30, 1985, an open house was held to usher in the new ambulance service.[8]

EastCare helped VMC become a level 1 trauma center in November 1985.[8] It expanded to critical care ground transport in August 1994.[10] By 2000, VMC adds a second helicopter to their fleet. Also, VMC begins the construction of a new emergency department. The four-story emergency department is a two-helicopter rooftop landing pad which was complete in November 2003. The communication center is also located on the top floor of this tower, overlooking the helipad.[11][12] In 2009, the ground ambulances went on more than 10,000 trips.[13]

1987 crash

EastCare flew in a Bell 206L LongRanger helicopter to the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune on January 8, 1987 to transport a child. The helicopter crashed around 9:30 pm in the Hoffman Forest, near Pollocksville in Jones County. Pilot Perry L. Reynolds, flight nurses Mike McGinnis and Pam Demaree, and the patient all died. The crew reported a fire on board during its last Mayday. Marine search and rescue from Air Station New River found the burning wreckage around 9:40 pm. Most of the cabin was burned away and the last body was removed at around 2:00 am and all taken to Jacksonville. The National Transportation Safety Boards preliminary results suggested the helicopter banked to the right with its nose down when it crashed.[8][14][15]

Hurricane Floyd
Main article: Hurricane Floyd

On September 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd made landfall in North Carolina.[16] The Tar River, which runs through Greenville, suffered the worst flooding, exceeding 500-year flood levels along its lower stretches; it crested 24 feet (7.3 m) above flood stage.[17] Damages in Pitt County alone were estimated at $1.6 billion (1999 USD, $1.87 billion 2006 USD).[18]

VMC turned into a landing zone for helicopters landing and departing. VMC at the time owned one helicopter. EastCare flew 102missions from landfall to ten days later. The first mission occurred on the afternoon of landfall. EastCare transported a woman who had been rescued Pinetops from her rooftop who was nearing labor.[19] The situation far exceeded VMC's aerial capability. Mission St. Joseph's Health System in Asheville sent one helicopter for two days, the STAT MedEvac sent one helicopter and two teams for six days and Rocky Mountain Air, the company that owned the EastCare helicopters at the time, sent one helicopter for two days. Many military helicopters from the North Carolina Air National Guard were used to help rescue survivors and bring them to the hospital.[19] At the height of the aftermath there were as many as thirty helicopter missions each day, more than ten times the rate normally. A few days after the storm hit, the staff was fatigued and was replaced. It became Vidant EastCare's job to fly and pick up staff who work at the hospital. Vidant EastCare also transported patients and supplies to and from the hospital.[20]

Air ambulances

Vidant EastCare currently has six helicopters with bases in Bertie County, Nash County, Craven County, Wayne County, and Onslow County. Metro Aviation, Inc., based in Shreveport, LA. is the aviation operator. The helicopters complete around 3,500 transports per year, with the average one-way flight being 45 minutes.[10] The callsign for dispatch is "E-Comm" and for the helicopters are "EastCare Air1", "EastCare Air2", EastCare Air3", "EastCare Air4" "EastCare Air5", and "EasCare Air6".

Ground transport

Vidant EastCare began critical care ground transport in 1994. The ambulances include two neonatal transfer ambulances and ten type-I ambulances. There are also twenty four ambulances for advanced and basic life support. The ground transport vehicles are primary stationed either in Greenville or at one of the bases. The other stations are Bertie County, Duplin County, Nash County, Onslow County and Pitt County.[12]

Awards and recognitions

In 1993, it was the first program east of the Mississippi River and fifth overall to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. By 1996, it was the first program to be re-accredited and the first to be accredited for critical-care ground transport.[21] In 2000, it was selected as the Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services. It received the Helicopter World/Air Ambulance Search and Rescue 2001 Award for its work during Hurricane Floyd.[10]

References
  1. Ferguson, Jeffrey (October–December 2008). "What's Going on at EastCare?" (PDF). The Siren. Greenville, North Carolina: ECU Emergency Medicine – Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  2. "EastCare Air Medical Service takes dlivery of EC135, with two EC145s to follow". Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  3. Office of Emergency Medical Services (March 15, 2010). "Designated Trauma Centers". NC Division of Health Service Regulation. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  4. Dial Codes (PDF). Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services. October 22, 2010. pp. 139–142.
  5. "Full-Time Emergency Medicine Faculty". ECU Emergency Medicine. The Brody School of Medicine. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  6. Dale-Reeder, Rhonda. "Critical Lessons Learned from Trauma" (powerpoint). University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  7. Abramowitz, Michael (October 20, 2010). "EastCare celebrates 25 years". The Daily Reflector. The Daily Reflector. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  8. Williams, Wayne C. (2001). PCMH – A Tradition of Excellence. Greenville, North Carolina: Barefoot Press. pp. 110–111, 132–133. ISBN 0-9703999-0-1.
  9. "EastCare". Emergency Medical Services. Pitt County Development Commission. 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  10. "EastCare". ECU Emergency Medicine. The Brody School of Medicine. 2009. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  11. "Economic History of Pitt County 1690–2010" (PDF). Pitt County Development Commission. June 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  12. Atkins, Beth Anne (September 25, 2007). "UHS cuts ribbon on new EastCare satellite location in Nash County". UHS News. Greenville, North Carolina: University Health Systems of North Carolina. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  13. Freedman, Alex (October 19, 2010). "EastCare celebrates birthday, new technology in medical transport". WNCT. Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  14. Associated Press (January 10, 1987). "5 are killed in crash of a marine helicopter". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  15. Fouts, Charles T. (January 25, 1990). "Atl87ma057". Factual Report Aviation. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  16. National Hurricane Center (1999). "Preliminary Report: Hurricane Floyd". NOAA. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  17. "Flooding in Tarboro and Princeville". Daniel Design Associates. Archived from the original on August 7, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  18. National Climatic Data Center (1999). "Climate-Watch, September 1999". NOAA. Archived from the original on October 24, 2001. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
  19. Boyd, Doug. "As Water Soaked the Ground, PCMH Aircraft Filled the Sky". Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  20. Lindberg, Curt. "Pitt County Memorial Hospital – Weathering and Weaving: Lessons from the Trenches". Plexus Institute. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  21. Boyd, Doug (December 5, 2000). "EastCare transport program named best of year". Division of Health Sciences news. East Carolina University News Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
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