||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT |||


When a patient needs rapid transport from the San Juan Islands, emergency service providers call for air medical transport from one of three providers – Island Air, Airlift Northwest, and Life Flight. The decision for which air transport provider to use depends on multiple factors including the patient’s medical priority, weather conditions, and aircraft availability.

In the past, residents who held memberships with Airlift Northwest were covered for medical transport services with Life Flight and vice versa under a reciprocity agreement. That option ended in 2020, and OI residents need to consider purchasing membership for air medical transport with all three companies.

Membership costs range from $39 to $69 per annual household membership, for a total of less than $200 each year.  Without a membership, air medical transport can cost patients tens of thousands of dollars.  For more information and to sign up for memberships, contact each membership provider (click logo above for each provider).


 

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