"Time is of the Essence"

The Peoria Journal Star recently reported that a new Life Flight hangar was dedicated on August 28.

The new hangar, which cost 2.6 million dollars, is 12,000 square feet and will house the fleet of four Life Flight helicopters. The four helicopters are used by OSF in Peoria and Rockford.

A flight nurse that has worked with the OSF helicopter program for many years stated, “Time is of the essence...We just try to get the best patient outcome for them.”

I assume that Dr. George Hevesy and Dr. Rick Miller agree with their flight nurse’s assessment regarding speed and emergency medical services. Both Hevesy and Miller are employed by OSF and both have been project medical directors for the Peoria area. These two physicians have controlled ground and air transport in the Peoria area for many years.

If time is of the essence arriving at the scene and transporting the patient, why can’t the Peoria Fire Department (PFD) give ground based advanced life support and transport patients? The PFD frequently arrives at the scene quicker than Advanced Medical Transport.

Where have Drs. Hevesy and Miller been for the past 15 years? Why haven’t they enabled the PFD to treat and transport like AMT is allowed to do and the Life Flight helicopters do when “time is of the essence”?