Flying at the Speed of Life

Bringing a New Helicopter to Enloe

Amanda Lefor, a registered nurse at Enloe Medical Center, was finishing her shift when her husband brought their then 2-year-old son, Owen Lefor, into the Emergency Department.

It had been a tough winter for Owen. He battled respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV — a bug that causes cold-like symptoms — and multiple ear infections. Visits to the Emergency Department weren’t new. But this time he was exhausted and couldn’t catch his breath, she shared in a Story of Excellence.

“My team lead and charge nurse sent me to the Emergency Department to be with my son and husband,” Lefor noted. “After giving Owen a breathing treatment, IV steroids, antibiotics and fluids, he was not turning a corner.”

Owen was admitted into Enloe Medical Center, but he needed a higher level of care. Enloe’s air ambulance, FlightCare, flew him to the UC Davis Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

“When we got to UC Davis, the provider made the comment that we got Owen there just in time to not have to intubate him,” Lefor noted.

In 2019, Owen was one of FlightCare’s 835 patient transports. FlightCare’s need has greatly increased since then. In 2020, the crew performed 810 transports, and in 2021, it jumped to 864. The following year, that number grew to 1,040 — making 2022 the busiest year in the program’s history.

With the need to fly patients like Owen to higher levels of care and with more people exploring the North State’s rugged and remote terrain, caregivers expect the demand for FlightCare to keep growing. That’s why the Enloe Foundation is helping Enloe Medical Center purchase a new aircraft funded primarily by donors. Expected to take flight in spring 2024, the new helicopter will be the latest model of FlightCare’s primary air ambulance, an EC130 aircraft.

The purchase will cost about $5.4 million and allow crews to rotate between two air ambulances more efficiently, extending the life of both. It will also allow FlightCare to retire its 22-year-old AStar aircraft, which currently serves as its backup helicopter. To help recoup part of the cost, Enloe will sell the AStar.

One of a Kind

FlightCare has been flying at the speed of life since 1985. Since then, it has served more than 23,000 patients across Butte, Tehama, Glenn, Plumas, Colusa, Sierra, Shasta, Trinity, Yuba and Lassen counties. The service is the only hospital-owned and operated air ambulance in California. All FlightCare crew members, nurses, paramedics, pilots and mechanics are Enloe employees. Crews are able to help in the Emergency Department when they’re not flying. The program is staffed with six pilots, five flight paramedics, seven flight nurses and two mechanics every day to ensure 24/7 coverage.

“Our FlightCare team is fully integrated into Enloe’s culture of excellent service. We are fortunate enough to have local flight crews and don’t have to use float crews, like many programs in the country — we live here, and our families live here,” said Jenny Humphries, Enloe’s Director of Emergency Medical Services and Chief Flight Nurse. “We have knowledge of our local geography and love helping our community.”

FlightCare responds to 911 calls and transports patients to Enloe and other health care facilities when needed. The helicopter is filled with an array of sophisticated, lifesaving equipment, and when the need arises, additional devices above and beyond what is already on board can be added to meet a patient’s needs.

This includes an impella — a device that pumps blood to help alleviate the workload of a sick heart — as well as an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine — a device that oxygenates a person’s blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. The helicopter also features a temperature-controlled device called an isolette for newborns. Temperature drops are dangerous for these babies, and using an isolette is best practice for transporting temperature-sensitive newborns by air.

The new helicopter will offer the same clinical equipment and capability, as well as enhanced safety features. “This purchase will strategically set us up for success for years to come,” Humphries said.

Help Make a Difference

Community support is greatly appreciated as Enloe makes this purchase, said Suzanne Watroba, the Enloe Foundation’s Director of Advancement.

“A new air ambulance is essential,” she said. “We can’t thank our regional community members who invest in our organization enough for their generosity. It inspires us every day and allows Enloe to help provide the best care possible for generations to come.”

Humphries echoes that sentiment. “We are humbled by the support Enloe and our community have shown for our very special and unique flight program over the last 37 years, and we look forward to the future,” she said.

To help bring the new helicopter to Enloe, make a gift at www.enloe.org/donate.