North Memorial Health Air Care Team Celebrates 40 Years
In an emergency medical situation, every minute is crucial. And for 40 years, North Memorial Health has had a valuable tool at its disposal to help get patients the care they need. It’s called Air Care.
“We can fly, obviously, at about 150 to 180 miles per hour,” said Shimon Cohen, Air Care’s clinical director. “We’re spread throughout the state. We have seven bases throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, and we provide air ambulance service.”
Every year, the Air Care team does more than 2,600 patient transports. Crews can fly the helicopters up to 150 miles from their home base and help people suffering from things like heart attacks, strokes and car crashes get to hospitals for treatment.
“It’s a privilege,” said Bob Prom, a registered nurse who’s been a member of the Air Care team since 1998. “You know, sometimes we have to deal with the trauma of what we see and have to deal with, but more often than not, it’s just so rewarding.”
Bob Prom has been part of North Memorial’s Air Care team since 1998.
In the 40 years since North Memorial launched Air Care, they’ve equipped helicopters with better technology, expanded their fleet and grown their staff to 130. Air Care currently has nine helicopters throughout its seven locations. Robbinsdale has two of those helicopters.
“We have some excellent training here at North Memorial that allows us to do a lot of procedures that we wouldn’t normally do in the hospital, putting in breathing tubes and such,” said Prom, referring to the treatment they can do in the air.
Over these 40 years, the Air Care team has transported nearly 80,000 patients, serving a crucial role where a normal ambulance can’t quite do the job.
“I’m very honored and humbled to be part of this,” said Cohen. “We make a difference to a lot of people’s lives throughout, they’re kind of in their tragic or dire need and we’re there to help them.”
Related: North Memorial Receives New Helicopters
