SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., –Regional West Medical Center’s Air Link air ambulance service has once again been awarded a full three-year accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). The commission is a nationally recognized organization that ensures medical transport programs meet national standards for safety, education, and training.

Air Link received word of the recertification just a few weeks after their site survey. Typically, programs must wait until the CAMTS board meeting, which will take place in July, to learn of their accreditation, but notice of the recertification came early because of the high standards that Air Link holds regarding patient care and safety. 

During this survey, Air Link was the first program in the country to be held accountable for the new 10^th Edition CAMTS Accreditation Standards. Tracy Meyer, Chief Flight Nurse, is very proud of the Air Link Team and the quality of service that is provided to the region. It was a great opportunity to showcase the many strengths and talents of the flight team and Regional West Medical Center.

The team conducts monthly team meetings that include assessing all areas of the program: safety, quality management/process improvement, staff meeting, and flight critiques. The meetings are attended by a multidisciplinary group including pilots, mechanic, medical crew, and the leadership team. In addition to the monthly team meetings, the group also discusses educational topics that pertain to flight safety, such as the use of night vision goggles, and patient safety, as every single patient transport is reviewed by the medical director and the chief flight nurse.

Air Link is one of just four CAMTS-accredited medical transport programs in Nebraska. They received their first accreditation in 2001 and have maintained accreditation ever since.

Air Link became an integral part of Regional West’s Trauma Services program in November of 1995. Air Link is staffed by highly trained pilots, flight nurses, and flight paramedics who provide monitoring, critical care intervention and advanced life support procedures to critically ill or injured adult and pediatric patients. The program operates throughout a 150-plus mile radius that spans western Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, southern South Dakota, and northern Colorado.

Air Link flies a Bell 407 helicopter, which is maintained and operated through a partnership with Med-Trans, Corp.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 182-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.