Mercy Flight Central Announces Expansion Into The Utica-Rome Area

Mercy Flight Central announced today at a news conference at 10:00 am at the Medical Center that it will add a new base of operations in Schuyler, NY, three miles east of Utica, at 368 Shortlots Road, Frankfort, NY.

This expansion will enable the organization to improve service to the mid-state area of New York, an area encompassing a roughly 60-mile radius, and provide faster, more cost-effective service to trauma patients in many under-served Central New York communities. Operations are slated to begin in March of 2013.

Mercy Flight Central is an independent, community-based non-profit provider of air medical services. Its main base of operation is in Canandaigua, NY, which serves the Greater Rochester Area and points east, west and south. In addition, the organization has a base in Marcellus, NY, which serves the Greater Syracuse Area and points east, north and south.

“Our decision to expand our bases of operation was made after careful consideration. While Mercy Flight Central has always served this region, in the event of an emergency we could be flying more than 50 miles to an accident scene. As a result, too many critically injured patients travel by ambulance to the nearest trauma center. This time delay can negatively impact the golden hour, which is critical for first responders in saving lives,” added Neil Snedeker, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We are pleased to welcome Mercy Flight Central’s new base of operations to our area,” added Richard Ketcham, President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Elizabeth Medical Center. “Mercy Flight Central’s arrival fills a serious void in emergency air medical rescue service in our area. This a true benefit for our community.”

The mid-state region of New York includes the cities of Rome and Utica plus many smaller communities from just north of Binghamton, east to Albany and points north. Patients will benefit from reduced response time and improved outcomes as Mercy Flight Central’s air medical services include trauma management, critical care medicine and advanced airway procedures. Mercy Flight Central’s air medical personnel are trained in all aspects of critical care for inter-facility and on-scene transports.

Mercy Flight Central expects to add approximately twelve new jobs over the coming year, including flight nurses, paramedics and pilots.

About Mercy Flight Central

Mercy Flight Central was founded as a non-profit in 1992 to provide air medical services to residents of New York State and beyond. Since inception, the organization has served more than 12,000 patients and grown to approximately 50 employees. This includes bases of operations in Canandaigua and Marcellus, New York. The organization began operations as an advanced life support air ambulance service and has since expanded to become New York’s premier critical care air medical service with three helicopters and one turboprop jet airplane staffed 24/7/365.  

Mercy Flight Central provides the highest level of pre-hospital critical care to patients. The organization’s critical care teams consist of highly skilled pilots, registered nurses, paramedics and volunteer physicians. These teams work closely together to care for critically ill and injured patients requiring advanced treatment and rapid air transport to specialized medical centers across the northeast. The aircraft utilized in transports includes helicopters that can travel within a 150-mile radius of Mercy Flight Central’s base locations. Twin engine airplanes are utilized for transports to further reaches of the United States and Canada. Aside from typical patient transports, Mercy Flight Central routinely handles pre-transplant and post-transplant patients.