AirCare 1 is based at Davidson County Airport in Lexington, AirCare 2 is stationed at Wilkes County Airport in North Wilkesboro and AirCare 3 is housed at Blue Ridge Regional Airport in Martinsville, Virginia. The fleet of three helicopters are strategically located throughout the region to ensure swift and methodical access and transportation. Wake Forest Baptist is home to the only Level 1 trauma center in the region, one of only two burn centers in the state and one of only three Level 1 pediatric trauma centers in the state. The AirCare helicopter crew – comprised of a pilot, a Wake Forest Baptist paramedic and flight nurse – transports adult and pediatric patients with a variety of conditions, including trauma, cardiac, stroke and burns.

These crews have been so responsive and as always, the AirCare team really stepped up to provide outstanding care for patients across our large service area.” This includes additional time spent putting on personal protective equipment before transport and extra time cleaning and disinfecting helicopters, ambulances and equipment once the patient has been safely delivered. “A lot of additional time and effort goes into transferring individuals that have been confirmed to have or are suspected to have COVID-19. “From the start of the pandemic, the men and women of AirCare have never wavered and stayed committed to providing transportation for COVID-19 patients,” said Billy Haynes, Wake Forest Baptist’s AirCare program manager.

Throughout the past year, AirCare and these critical care ambulances, based at Wake Forest Baptist and affiliated hospitals, have collectively transported approximately 1,600 COVID-19 patients and patients suspected to have COVID-19, in addition to maintaining its numerous non-COVID related emergencies. Since its first flight in May 1986, AirCare has grown from one helicopter to three helicopters and also includes four critical care ground ambulances that transport individuals across North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina. AirCare – the air ambulance program of Wake Forest Baptist Health – is celebrating 35 years of treating and transporting critically ill and injured patients.

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