By Erica O’Neal

Staff Writer

AMERICUS – The Air Evac Lifeteam Base is moving locations from Cordele to Phoebe Sumter Medical Center campus in Americus. Construction for the base will take about four to six months to complete. Program director for the Air Evac Lifeteam base, Chase Lott has high hopes for the new move.

“Our helicopter serves a 70-mile radius, and we are excited for our new home in Americus,” Lott said. “Air Evac Lifeteam is dedicated to providing access to a higher level of emergency health care for those who need it most.”

Brandi Lunneborg, the Chief Executive Officer of the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center is excited to welcome Air Evac Lifeteam to the hospital and surrounding community.

“We look forward to this partnership that will ensure citizens of this region the added benefit of air ambulances’ vital speed and access to lifesaving emergency care,” Lunneborg said.

Air Evac Lifeteam was established in 1985 in West Plains, Missouri. The goal was to provide air medical transportation and make emergency health care more easily accessible. Air ambulances were primarily based in metropolitan areas at that time 30 years ago, but now air medical transport is needed most for those living in rural areas further away from hospitals.

Today, Air Evac Lifeteam is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air ambulance service in the United States, with more than 125 bases across 15 states.

Flight crews, consisting of a pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic, are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to the scene of an emergency, or provide transportation between medical facilities. For more information, please visit lifeteam.net.