AirCare Critical Care Transport Services
AirCare is part of an EMS network serving patients in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina. The service includes two air and two mobile ambulances stationed in strategic locations to provide fast, safe transportation for critically ill and injured patients.
- AirCare 1, an EC-135 helicopter, is based at Davidson County Airport near Lexington.
- AirCare 2, an EC-130 helicopter, is based in Boonville in Yadkin County.
- A critical care ambulance is based in North Wilkesboro at Wilkes Regional Medical Center.
- A second critical care ambulance is based at Lexington Memorial Hospital.
These vehicles are located to provide the fastest possible response to calls for critical care transportation. AirCare 1 primarily covers south and southwest of Winston-Salem, and AirCare 2 covers northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. This map shows the flight time from our bases in Lexington and Boonville.
AirCare treats patients with a variety of conditions, including trauma, cardiac, stroke and burns. We also treat neonatal patients.
Wake Forest Baptist is the only Level 1 trauma center in the region and has one of only two burn centers in North Carolina. The Level 1 trauma center designation was first received in 1982 and has been renewed since then. The designation is awarded to hospitals that demonstrate the highest commitment to caring for critically injured patients.
AirCare responds to calls from First Responders and hospitals 24/7. The helicopter is in the air within minutes of receiving a call, and the crew is in direct radio contact with EMS personnel at the scene or the physician at the referring hospital.
The crew treats patients at the scene. Within 10 minutes, the aircraft usually is back in the air, and the crew is in direct contact with physicians in the emergency department at Wake Forest Baptist. Studies indicate that the mortality is lower when patients are transferred to a trauma center within 60 minutes of an accident.
The AirCare crew includes a pilot, flight nurse and paramedic. The nurse and paramedic are certified in several areas of emergency care and have undergone extensive training in advanced airway management, transport physiology, burn and trauma care, pediatrics and cardiology. The aircraft are equipped with sophisticated life support and patient care equipment.
For more information, contact aircareinfo@wakehealth.edu.