Air Evac Lifeteam Celebrates 20 Years of Service to the Texas Hill Country
4.29.2021
Marble Falls crews thank partners in care with barbecue celebrations in four communities.
The Marble Falls Air Evac Lifeteam base, Air Evac 49, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary of serving patients in the Texas Hill Country. The air medical base opened in 2001, and serves residents within a 70-mile radius. Terri Thompson, program director for Air Evac 49, said the crews celebrated the anniversary by having four celebrations in some of the towns they serve: Blanco, Marble Falls, Burnet and Llano, complete with homemade BBQ, cake, t-shirts and more. Employees served and celebrated with hospital employees, EMS, firefighters, police officers, city and county officials.
“These are the people we work with each day, and we couldn’t do our jobs without them,” Thompson said. “We are very grateful for the professional, compassionate and highly skilled first responders and healthcare providers who help us provide care at a moment’s notice. We’re also thankful for the support we’ve received from the entire community since we opened in 2001.”
Ben Oakley, EMS chief for North Blanco County EMS, said he is proud to have the Marble Falls Air Evac Lifeteam crew ready to provide rapid access to definitive healthcare.
“In Blanco County, the ground transport time to comprehensive critical care facilities in our region can easily take anywhere between one and two hours,” he said. “As such, when patients experience life-threatening injuries or illnesses and minutes truly matter, having Air Evac in our rural community truly saves lives by providing access to these comprehensive facilities in a fraction of the amount of time it would take to get these patients to the hospital by ground. We're honored to work with the amazing staff of Air Evac 49, who are some of the most compassionate caregivers you'll find.”
Marble Falls Mayor John Packer said Air Evac Lifeteam is an asset to the community.
“Having the first-class emergency air medical service that Air Evac 49 provides, combined with our other local first responders, gives our citizens the peace of mind that they have all of the emergency services they may ever need,” he said.
Air Evac Lifeteam will celebrate its 36th company anniversary in August. The company began in a rural southern Missouri community that was more than 90 minutes from a Level 1 or 2 trauma center and grew from there.
“Air Evac believes people who choose the rural way of life should have the same expert care and rapid access as those who live in more urban areas,” Thompson said. “Our state-of-the-art aircraft is a flying ER, and we carry two units of whole blood on every flight. Our nurses, paramedics and pilots have the skills, compassion and experience needed to provide excellent care to our communities. Our crews live in the communities we serve, and we are invested in them.”
Kelly Mullins agreed. Mullins is the vice president of Patient Care Services for Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls.
"It gives me personal comfort to know that where I have chosen to live, for my family and community, we have highly skilled medical personnel, pilots, and equipment a quick phone call and flight away!"
Air Evac Lifeteam currently operates more than 140 air medical bases in 15 states. Air Evac is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), the nation’s largest air medical transport membership program with more than 320 air medical locations across 38 states. Members flown for a life- or limb-threatening injury or illness by an AMCN participating provider have no out-of-pocket costs for the flight. Whatever the member’s insurance – or third-party insurance – pays is considered payment in full. Annual household memberships start at $85.
“These are the people we work with each day, and we couldn’t do our jobs without them,” Thompson said. “We are very grateful for the professional, compassionate and highly skilled first responders and healthcare providers who help us provide care at a moment’s notice. We’re also thankful for the support we’ve received from the entire community since we opened in 2001.”
Ben Oakley, EMS chief for North Blanco County EMS, said he is proud to have the Marble Falls Air Evac Lifeteam crew ready to provide rapid access to definitive healthcare.
“In Blanco County, the ground transport time to comprehensive critical care facilities in our region can easily take anywhere between one and two hours,” he said. “As such, when patients experience life-threatening injuries or illnesses and minutes truly matter, having Air Evac in our rural community truly saves lives by providing access to these comprehensive facilities in a fraction of the amount of time it would take to get these patients to the hospital by ground. We're honored to work with the amazing staff of Air Evac 49, who are some of the most compassionate caregivers you'll find.”
Marble Falls Mayor John Packer said Air Evac Lifeteam is an asset to the community.
“Having the first-class emergency air medical service that Air Evac 49 provides, combined with our other local first responders, gives our citizens the peace of mind that they have all of the emergency services they may ever need,” he said.
Air Evac Lifeteam will celebrate its 36th company anniversary in August. The company began in a rural southern Missouri community that was more than 90 minutes from a Level 1 or 2 trauma center and grew from there.
“Air Evac believes people who choose the rural way of life should have the same expert care and rapid access as those who live in more urban areas,” Thompson said. “Our state-of-the-art aircraft is a flying ER, and we carry two units of whole blood on every flight. Our nurses, paramedics and pilots have the skills, compassion and experience needed to provide excellent care to our communities. Our crews live in the communities we serve, and we are invested in them.”
Kelly Mullins agreed. Mullins is the vice president of Patient Care Services for Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls.
"It gives me personal comfort to know that where I have chosen to live, for my family and community, we have highly skilled medical personnel, pilots, and equipment a quick phone call and flight away!"
Air Evac Lifeteam currently operates more than 140 air medical bases in 15 states. Air Evac is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), the nation’s largest air medical transport membership program with more than 320 air medical locations across 38 states. Members flown for a life- or limb-threatening injury or illness by an AMCN participating provider have no out-of-pocket costs for the flight. Whatever the member’s insurance – or third-party insurance – pays is considered payment in full. Annual household memberships start at $85.
