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Home News LIFESTAR Trains Crew for Medical Helicopter Service in Mexico

LIFESTAR Trains Crew for Medical Helicopter Service in Mexico

Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007

Caption: (left to right) Dr. Jaime Rivero, an emergency medicine physician from Mexico; Dr. Oscar Molina, a cardiologist from Mexico; and Salatiel Samora, a paramedic from Mexico, discuss air medical service with LIFESTAR flight nurse Sue Toberman. The group from Mexico visited LIFESTAR and UT Medical Center for classroom and field training as they prepare to launch that nation’s first dedicated EMS aeromedical service.

A group of medical specialists from Mexico spent a week in Knoxville receiving valuable training from the staff of UT LIFESTAR at The University of Tennessee Medical Center. The visitors will utilize the information they received from the LIFESTAR staff to establish that nation’s first dedicated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) aeromedical services operation.

“This group of individuals from Mexico is here with the same goal that we have at LIFESTAR and that is to save lives and improve patient outcomes,” said Jeff Gregory, director of aeromedical services for LIFESTAR. “While we may be separated by geographic boundaries, the reality is that procedures, training and patient care standards are similar whether you are in East Tennessee or in Mexico. We all recognize that, and I believe that understanding has resulted in a successful week of training.”

“We’re extremely honored that we’re able to provide instruction and education to this distinguished group of emergency medical services providers from Mexico,” said Andrew Slemp, regional operations manager for LIFESTAR. “Our visitors were very grateful and paid close attention to every detail during our full week of classroom and field training. In this country, we’ve had aeromedical services for a long time. But this group is charged with the task of starting an aeromedical services operation from the ground up with the eyes of an entire nation watching them. Fortunately, they are a very capable and talented group.”

Eight crewmembers from Mexico, including three pilots, two physicians, a paramedic, an engineer and an administrator, trained with the staff of LIFESTAR as they prepared to start up the Skylife aeromedical service along Mexico’s Gulf Coast, based in Cuidad del Carmen. The service is expected to launch at the end of September, and Skylife officials believe they will need to prove the effectiveness of aeromedical services to the people of their nation.

“We’re very thankful to have the opportunity to draw from the experiences and knowledge of LIFESTAR,” said Ricardo Lebrija Orvañanos, Skylife CEO. “Possibly our biggest challenge is just getting to change the culture in Mexico. We’re not inventing something. These services are in use all over the world. But I think by the end of this year people will begin to notice and understand the benefits of our service. This is a very exciting time.”

During their visit, the crewmembers from Mexico received two full days of instructional classroom learning and gained a wealth of experience as observers onboard the UT LIFESTAR helicopters during several medical calls.

Once in operation, the Skylife aeromedical service is expected to provide service for many American companies with employees who work on off-shore oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The medical helicopter service is expected to significantly shorten the amount of time it takes to get injured workers or other individuals to hospitals.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.