Flight For Life provides helicopter transportation for patients needing critical care service within a 150-mile radius covering a 23-county area.  The Flight For Life team includes a pilot, flight nurse and a flight paramedic specially trained in both adult cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS) for critical patient transports.

About Us 
In the 1980’s, the east Texas area was in need of a way to rapidly transport critically ill and injured patients from isolated rural medical facilities and Emergency Medical Service agencies to tertiary care centers.  To meet this urgent need, Mother Frances Hospital Board of Directors and executives had a vision of bringing a medical helicopter to the area.  At the time, most medical flight operations were only found in larger metropolitan areas such as Dallas and Houston. 

In 1985, Mother Frances Hospital acquired the area’s first medical helicopter, Flight For Life, which lifted off on its maiden voyage on December 15, 1985.  Today, Flight For Life transports ill and injured patients to east Texas’ busiest emergency care center, located inside Mother Frances Hospital, a licensed 392-bed facility that includes a Level II Trauma Center and the area’s only Accredited Chest Pain Center. The Emergency Care Center at Mother Frances Hospital sees over 58,000 patients each year.

Today, Flight For Life averages 600 to 700 transports each year.  When requested, Flight For Life also assists medical helicopter programs in Dallas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other nearby areas.  When needed, local law enforcement enlists the help of Flight For Life during search-and-rescue missions.

Aviation services are provided and operated by Air Methods Corporation of Englewood, Colorado. FAA air carrier certificate # QMLA253U.