Pictured above: Providing transport services during critical care events.
On the Fourth of July in 2021, there was more in the air than just fireworks.
Annapolis resident Kevin Brooks suffered a major heart attack that day, requiring emergency transport via helicopter to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he received the lifesaving medical attention he needed. Today, he is incredibly grateful for his “miracle flight” thanks to our MedSTAR Transport team, the air medical service division of MedStar Health.
“If it wasn’t for MedSTAR Transport, I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” says Brooks, a 70-year-old musician. “They are the unsung heroes.”
With its first official flight in 1983, our MedSTAR Transport service became the mid-Atlantic region’s first hospital-based air medical service. Founded to deliver critical care to ill and injured patients and ensure every patient is always close advanced care, the MedSTAR Transport fleet now includes state-of-the-art medevac helicopters and ambulances.
“We bring advanced medical care to patients where they are,” says Krista Wall, vice president and program director of MedSTAR Transport. “Whether they’re at the scene of an accident or at a smaller community hospital that may not have the specialized services a patient needs, we bring the most highly trained medical teams directly to the patient and get them to care as quickly as possible.”
Our MedSTAR Transport team operates out of three bases in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., regions that are strategically located to provide support to patients in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
The proximity to our nation's capital is an advantage, especially in times of crisis. The impact was particularly evident during the events of 9/11. We were among the first medevac helicopters to land at the Pentagon, providing immediate critical aid to injured workers. As the sole civilian medevac program in the region permitted to sustain this vital mission during the closure of the national airspace, our transport fleet operated seamlessly as a frontline responder in the days following the attacks.
“We’re here not only to help patients who need us every day, but we’re also prepared to respond quickly in times of crisis in the community,” Wall says.
The crisis-response resources proved invaluable during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when transferring patients became extremely crucial. The services provided by MedSTAR Transport helped ensure no single MedStar Health hospital received too many patients and that patients with varying medical conditions could get the care they required.
Our transport team provides far more than point-A-to-point-B services. A typical MedSTAR Transport flight or ambulance crew consists of a pilot or driver, a critical-care nurse, and a critical-care paramedic, all trained in delivering comprehensive critical care and general patient services. The flight crew may include additional members, such as a physician and a respiratory therapist, for specialized tasks like transporting infants to the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Our teams meet the highest level of qualifications and training to bring patients the clinical-level of care you would find in an intensive care unit,” Wall says. “They are skilled in providing care across a wide range of diagnoses and injuries.”
Our MedSTAR Transport program began as a single-helicopter program over 40 years ago, and today operates three air bases, two ambulance ground bases, and transports more than 6,000 patients each year.
As one of the “lucky” patients, Brooks attributes our transport team with the health and quality of life he enjoys today.
“When you see that yellow and blue helicopter [in the sky], you know someone’s lucky up there,” Brooks says. “For all of us who have taken that miracle flight, I want to say thank you.”
Find care now
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 or seek care at an emergency room.