This story appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of “Dispatches.” In an emergency, a strong and well-designed system saves lives. Much of the work happens behind the scenes long before an emergency call comes in, coordinating among services — EMS, fire, police, hospitals, and 911 dispatchers — so that when the need does arise, the necessary […]
“It’s time to go. The heart is good,” Eric Brasier needed get to Boston for surgery, and quickly.
“It was a feeling of relief that someone just knows what to do, especially in a rural area.” – Christina Dolan
“I don’t have any memories from Pen Bay or the ICU at Maine Medical Center, but I do have a memory of a helicopter noise.” – Cathy Lake
“We got a call from Boston Children’s that they had a liver for me, and I needed to go immediately.” – Phoebe Root
“We’re doing really well now. It’s easy to forget what everybody on that helicopter flight had to do.” – Chris Lirakis
Don Miller was at his camp 40 miles west of Ashland when he developed a brain bleed. LifeFlight flew Don from Presque Isle to Bangor for emergency surgery.
“Sometimes we’re called for the unique medical capabilities that we bring and sometimes we’re called for speed.” – Veronica Marzonie, LifeFlight nurse
“In EMS, we make a promise,” says LifeFlight of Maine CEO Joe Kellner. “When you call us, we will come.”
“This is a patient-centric medical enterprise…Our medical direction is daily, it is real, and it is unremitting.” – Norm Dinerman, MD, LifeFlight Founding Medical Director
