WEST MICHIGAN AIR CARE - THE FINAL CALL
This video shows the landing portion of the final flight by West Michigan Air Care. If you, a friend, or a family member, or anyone you know for that matter, has been impacted by the amazing work of West Michigan Air Care - please share the story with us in the comments!
West Michigan Air Care provided 31 years of incredible life-saving service to the West Michigan region, until they were shut down in spring, 2024. Many will suffer in their absence. It was not their decision to shut down.
The following is a statement released by WMAC regarding their shutdown:
"For the last 31+ years, West Michigan Air Care has been a staple in the skies over West Michigan. Air Care was created in March 1993 as the first consortium air medical program in the country, combining the previous independent programs from Borgess Medical Center and Bronson Methodist Hospital. Since the beginning. the program has strived to be the benchmark in the region for critical care transport. Air Care has maintained CAMTS accreditation, considered the gold standard in the air medical industry, since 1995. Our personnel, current and past, have contributed to many published research projects, provided instruction for numerous classes, and have made a significant impact through active involvement in various state and national organizations. Our leadership team worked diligently during the COVID pandemic with Metro Aviation, our air vendor, to help develop a safe practice policy which was disseminated throughout the Metro Aviation family of programs and eventually adopted by the Air National Guard. This drive for excellence led us to be the first program in the tri-state area to carry and utilize whole blood instead of component therapy for the resuscitation of our most severely injured patients. The efforts of our personnel have helped save countless lives. The impact this organization has had on the region cannot be overstated.
It is with great heartache that we are writing to inform you that we were unsuccessful in obtaining a new partnership necessary to continue operating West Michigan Air Care. As such, we will cease operations effective April 21" at 7 AM.
We appreciate all the support the community and our health care partners have shown us over the years and especially during the very difficult last couple of months. Thank you for entrusting us with caring for your family, friends, and most critical patients.
Our crews empathize with the communities and patients that will be affected by this. We understand the great strain and the void this will create in the region. To help alleviate some of this, we have created a map showing the surrounding air resources. This shows a 50 mile radius coverage area from the bases as well as the dispatch phone numbers. We are hopeful that this will help in locating the closest possible resources to assist your patient care needs."
This video is a tribute to the 31 years of life-saving service by the West Michigan Air Care team.
Radio call audio used with permission from the WMAC team.