YAKIMA, WA – When someone is critically injured in our area, they are usually flown to a hospital in Seattle, Spokane, or Portland for treatment.
That emergency flight cost should be the last of the patient’s worries, said Airlift Northwest flight nurse, Kate Knutson.
Airlift Northwest, an entity with the University of Washington, offers a 60-dollar yearly membership that not only protects yourself but also everyone in your household.
With this membership, any time you or your loved one may need a lift, your insurance gets billed and you don’t pay a thing. Sign up here.
“It’s really a peace of mind to have our membership coverage because you never know when you may be needing us,” said Knutson.
Airlift Northwest brings the ICU to you. Knutson said they mostly take patients that need cardiac, trauma, or higher level stroke care.
“We are able to provide higher-level care quicker because of our capabilities we have in the aircraft,” said Knutson.
On the 40-minute flight from Yakima to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, patients are getting the treatment they need to stay alive said, Knutson.
Knuston said she tries to make her patients as comfortable as possible on possibly the worst day of their lives.
“We are able to take a family member sometimes,” said Knutson, “we do our best to make the best of a rough situation.”
On an average 24-hour shift, Knutson said they transport three people from Yakima to higher-level care.
“That doesn’t sound like a very big number but that’s actually a fair amount of flying,” said Knutson.
To combat the need, Airlift Northwest just added a base in Pasco.
Knutson said they are extremely busy in Yakima because there is only one
small hospital for such a large population.
“Sometimes bed availability is the reason why someone needs to be transported out,” said Knuston.
