The Covid-19 crisis has not materially impacted the nation’s air ambulance industry yet, but an Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) request for relief suggests concerns of constraints lie ahead.
The nation’s largest provider, Air Methods, told AIN this week that the Covid-19 crisis has had minimal impact on operations, so far. Joseph Resnik, v-p of safety, said Covid-19 had not produced a spike in operations or any crew shortages. Nor had it caused any delays in providing service due to the increased use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by crews or the need to implement Centers for Disease Control (CDC) decontamination protocols. “We continue to operate and serve our communities as we have prior to Covid-19,” he said. “Our crews are required to, and do, wear the appropriate PPE based on patient condition. Prior to Covid-19, there have been other patient conditions that require the same recommended PPE used for Covid-19 transports. We have always decontaminated our aircraft after transports where it is required as a best practice. It is considered a normal part of our business.”
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