Cody’s hospital recently launched the first hospital-owned medical transport program in the state. First Flight of Wyoming will serve the Greater Basin Region with medical flights out of state.
Cody Regional Health operates the largest EMS network in the state. CEO Doug McMillan said that’s why the flight program is needed.
“We know that expanding services to include air medical transport is going to meet tremendous need for the residents of Northwestern Wyoming,” McMillan said.
McMillan said because First Flight of Wyoming is located in the Big Horn Basin, it will provide higher quality of care to patients at a lower cost than a program not connected to the hospital. He said Cody Regional Health partnered with St. Vincent Healthcare out of Billings for it.
“This joint venture will improve rapid access to a high level of medical care at a lower cost to the patients we serve,” he said.
The helicopter will be based in Greybull, so response times will be shorter. Previously, medical flights had to come from Billings.