Flight For Life Colorado is the nation’s first and one of the most accomplished critical care transport programs
Fort Morgan, Colo. (Dec. 6, 2023) – The CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region is pleased to announce Flight For Life® Colorado, the nation’s first and one of the most accomplished critical care transport programs, will provide life-saving transport and critical care services to the patients in northeast Colorado with a helicopter based at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan, Colo., beginning in late spring 2024.
“For over 50 years, Flight For Life® Colorado has served the people of Colorado and the surrounding Rocky Mountain Region, and we look forward to providing exceptional care to the communities in northeast Colorado served by CommonSpirit and St. Elizabeth Hospital,” said Kathleen Mayer, Program Director of Flight For Life® Colorado. “Our rigorous training, comprehensive coverage and decades of proven service have made us the air medical program of choice for hospitals, EMS agencies, search and rescue teams and ski patrols across the state.”
Flight For Life® currently operates out of Denver, Frisco, Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Durango to transport patients to the most appropriate hospital, operating within the Colorado trauma system rules for trauma patients. In addition to general transport, Flight For Life® will also offer residents of Morgan and surrounding counties the following unique capabilities:
- Whole blood to transfuse for patients with hemorrhage
- Cardiac life-sustaining technology including Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA), intra-aortic balloon pumps, Impella ventricular assist device and ECMO heart and lung assist
- High risk obstetrical care
- Pediatric critical care
“Flight For Life® represents the highest level of critical care, and with teams of specially trained and certified flight nurses, flight paramedics and pilots available in the industry. A Flight For Life team based at St. Elizabeth Hospital 24 hours a day, allows patients to have even greater access to the top medical experts in the CommonSpirit Health network when they need it most,” said Josh Neff, CEO for St. Elizabeth Hospital. “We understand it is important to keep care to close to home, but as a former flight paramedic, I also know it is crucial to be able to move patients safely and quickly when they need access to a higher level of care. There is no team I trust more than the acclaimed flight nurses, flight paramedics and pilots at Flight For Life®.”
Available 24 hours a day, Flight For Life® Colorado may be requested by a physician, hospital, ambulance service, fire department, law enforcement agency, ski patrol or search and rescue group. The helicopters operate within a 150-mile radius of Denver Metro, the central Rockies, and the regions surrounding Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango, northern New Mexico, southeastern Utah, and now northeast Colorado.
Flight For Life® Colorado transports patients to the most appropriate medical facility, based on the condition of the patient, the patient's request, and the request of the sending or receiving physicians.
A patient's ability to pay is never questioned when urgent medical transport is needed. Flight For Life® Colorado, provides resuscitation, stabilization and transport for patients across the lifespan. No membership is needed to be transported by Flight For Life® and it ensure that patients will not be financially burdened due to the cost of services. As part of the CommonSpirit network, Flight For Life® Colorado has contracts with all major insurance companies and bills patients only what is required to fulfill copay and deductible obligations.
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About CommonSpirit
CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 by Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. The Colorado/Kansas/Utah Division includes 20 hospitals, 240 physician practices and clinics, emergency and urgent care centers, home care and hospice services, and Flight For Life® Colorado. With its national office in Chicago and a team of over 175,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit operates 142 hospitals and more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. In FY 2022, CommonSpirit had revenues of $33.9 billion and provided $4.9 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs. Learn more at www.commonspirit.org.
