REACH Air Medical Services Announces Ownership Change of Emergency Air Medical Transport Base in Colorado

SALIDA, Colo., Dec. 08, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- REACH Air Medical Services announces the expansion of their air medical services in Colorado. In December, the company will transition the existing EagleMed air ambulance base in Salida, CO to REACH Air Medical Services.

REACH Air Medical Services named Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services. Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center will be served by the new REACH base in Salida, CO.

The base will offer round-the-clock, life‐saving emergency air medical service to residents of the area as well as serving the air transport needs of the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center and other medical facilities. The well trained flight crew consists of a Flight Nurse, Flight Paramedic and Pilot. The medical team provides highly skilled patient care during transport. This transition will provide a medically-equipped Airbus AS350 AStar helicopter dedicated to serving the community.

Vicky Spediacci, Vice President of Aviation Operations at REACH, noted, “This is one of the most popular helicopters used in today’s air ambulance field due to its performance capabilities within the most challenging high altitude environments. We are confident this aircraft will serve this region well.”

REACH President Sean Russell shared, “For nearly three decades, REACH has served local communities throughout the Western United States. Our founder’s vision was based on providing timely life-saving services to those who did not live near specialty care centers. We feel privileged to continue providing this resource to the communities we serve today.”

“I’m impressed with the leadership at REACH and pleased that EagleMed is transitioning to a company that provides the same benefits under the AirMedCare Network air ambulance membership program,” states Bob Morasko, CEO of Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center. “This transition will enhance patient services in our community. REACH has additional aircraft serving the region and staffing depth that will help ensure the availability of this important resource for patient care.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a5c07e63-14d3-4ad8-89e6-1fee87b58ecb

REACH Air Medical Services was named Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS). Sponsored by Airbus Helicopters, Inc., this award is hailed as one of the air medical transport industry’s highest honors and is presented annually to one company that clearly exceeds industry standards for safety, patient care, leadership and community service.

REACH is part of the AirMedCare Network, the nation’s largest emergency air medical transport membership program. Members are covered for out-of-pocket expenses in the event of an emergency air transport by REACH or another AirMedCare Network provider. For a low-cost annual fee, individuals and companies may join more than 1.7 million members who receive coverage from more than 220 air base transport locations across 28 states coast to coast.

About REACH Air Medical Services
REACH Air Medical Services, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, provides critical care air and ground transport service to communities throughout California, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Texas and Colorado. Since 1987, the company has safely transported more than 100,000 ill or injured patients to needed care. REACH employs hundreds of highly-trained nurses, medics, pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians to provide service to patients using their fleet of medically equipped helicopters, airplanes and ground ambulances. REACH is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS), which is the gold standard for patient care and safety for air medical transport services. For more information, visit www.REACHair.com.

About Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center is a Critical Access Hospital in Salida, Colorado. Established in 1885, the medical center is part of a public hospital district encompassing Chaffee, western Fremont and northern Saguache counties. In 2008, HRRMC moved into a new state-of-the-art facility.  Recognized as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital for the past four years in a row—one of only eight CAHs in the nation to achieve this recognition—HRRMC is focused on being a world-class rural healthcare organization by providing personalized and exceptional patient care. For more information, visit www.hrrmc.com.

About AirMedCare Network
REACH Air Medical Services is part of the AirMedCare Network, America’s largest air medical transport membership network, providing emergency access to  the highest level of care for its more than 1.7 million members. The AirMedCare Network combines the membership programs of many leading air ambulance providers in 28 states from more than 220 air base locations. For more information, visit www.airmedcarenetwork.com.

Contact: Anna Blair
VP Business Relations & Development
707-508-6204
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Contact: Marji Ackermann
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Phone: (719) 530-2217
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