Life Flight is the UMass Memorial Medical Center air ambulance service that facilitates the rapid transfer of critically injured or ill patients to the Medical Center for highly specialized care. Life Flight is recognized for the excellence of its safety, quality management and employee education programs by the Board of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). Our air ambulance program is an important component of the UMass Memorial emergency services network, which provides responsive, high-quality care to patients throughout the region.
Based at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, the crew of the helicopter consists of a pilot and specially trained flight nurses and critical care paramedics. To facilitate care for patients while in flight, the specially outfitted helicopter includes oxygen, mechanical ventilators, heart monitors, defibrillators, intravenous pumps and other lifesaving devices.
The Life Flight program began at what was then the University of Massachusetts Medical Center (now UMass Memorial Medical Center) on September 15, 1982. Since its founding, Life Flight has transported more than 27,000 patients in a geographic area that extends from Southern Connecticut to New Hampshire and from Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York. Life Flight is a founding member of the North East Air Alliance (NEAA), a group of regional air medical services who collaborate on best practices in safety and critical care transport medicine.
In 2008, Life Flight took delivery of a new air ambulance, an American Eurocopter EC135. This helicopter is a leading model in medical air transport and has a top speed of 140 miles per hour with a range of more than 350 miles. The helicopter has a compact design, advanced night-vision and GPS technology, and is fifty percent quieter due to its enclosed tail rotor. The helicopter is operated by Air Methods Corporation of Englewood, Colorado.
Life Flight Accreditation Visit
Click here for a public notice regarding Life Flight's CAMTS Accreditation Visit, scheduled for February 25-26, 2013.
Contact Information
To contact Life Flight, call 508-421-5700.
Media Coverage
Click on the links below to learn more about recent Life Flight media coverage.
Life Flight Marks 30 Years Saving Lives
September 30, 2012; Read Telegram & Gazette
UMass Memorial Celebrates 30th Anniversary
September 20, 2012; Watch Worcester News Tonight
Rescue from the Clouds
August 25, 2011; Read Telegram & Gazette
UMass Memorial Adds New Chopper: Hospital is One of Three Hospitals in MA with Flight Program
August 24, 2011; Watch NECN