ARCH Air Medical Service

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ARCH Air Medical Service is an emergency medical service (EMS) that provides critical care air ambulance service in Missouri, Illinois, and the surrounding regions. Air ambulance programs (also known as Medevac) offer transport by helicopter (rotor-wing) or fixed-wing aircraft. ARCH Air was the twelfth program in the U.S. to offer such services when it began operating in March 1979. Transporting approximately 4,200 patients per year by rotorwing, ARCH aircraft are staffed by a pilot, nurse and paramedic. Flights are 80% inter-facility (hospital to hospital) and 20% scene.

Transport is also provided for specialty teams from St Marys Health Center obstetrics, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Creve Coeur neonatal, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau neonatal, Southeast Missouri Hospital Cape Girardeau neonatal, and St Johns Hospital, Springfield, IL neonatal.

[edit] History

March 1979: The program began operations as "MARC" (Medical Air Rescue Corps) and was based at Saint Louis University Hospital flying the Sikorsky S-55.
1980: MARC replaced the Sikorsky S-55 with the Bell JetRanger Helicopter.
August 1987: MARC became a not-for-profit consortium sponsored by St. Louis' three adult trauma centers (Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. John's Regional Medical Center and Saint Louis University Hospital). The name "ARCH" (Area Rescue Consortium of Hospitals) was selected to identify the cooperative effort.
1989: Paramedic added to the crew mix of pilot/registered nurse.
1990: ARCH replaced the Bell JetRanger with the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 aircraft, offering cabin class, twin-engine, space, speed and safety.
1990 also saw the addition of 'fixed-wing' services when it added a Beechcraft King Air for longer distance transports (100-500 miles from base), flights in inclement weather which prohibit rotor wing flights and specialty teams.
1999: ARCH gained national recognition for its accomplishments in quality of service when it received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). Of eight air ambulance programs in Missouri, five have CAMTS accreditation and two are operated by ARCH Air Medical Service, Inc.
2000: ARCH Air Medical Service, Inc. was acquired by Air Methods Corporation, which operates air ambulance programs across America. 2000 also saw the acquisition of LifeBeat Air Medical, from Southeast Missouri Hospital.