| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Critical care transport |
| Founded | Greenville, North Carolina (April 8, 1985) |
| Headquarters | Greenville, North Carolina, United States |
| Area served | Eastern North Carolina; Southeastern Virginia |
| Key people | Jeffrey D. Ferguson, MD, MS, NREMT-P (Medical Director, EastCare); Rhonda Reeder, RN (Business Administrator, EastCare); Michele Kuszajewski, RN (Clinical Administrator, EastCare); Kevin Justice, EMT-P (Chief Flight Paramedic, EastCare); Trey Labrecque, EMT-P (Chief Flight Paramedic, EastCare); Jon Berge, Pilot (Program Avaiation Manager, EastCare); |
| Owner(s) | University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina; Pitt County Memorial Hospital |
| Website | http://www.uhseast.com/eastcare.aspx |
EastCare is the critical care mobile air and ground transport of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina (UHS) at Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH). It serves 29 counties in Eastern North Carolina and extends into Virginia.[1][2] It is sponsored by PCMH and The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. PCMH is the only level 1 trauma center east of Raleigh.[3] It is one of nine air ambulances plus Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, located in North Carolina, and serves a radius of 230 nautical miles (430 km; 260 mi) around Greenville without refueling.[4] Jeffrey D. Ferguson is the current Medical Director for EastCare and Rhonda Reeder is the Program Director.[4][5]
EastCare can be dispatched for a number of causes, including: trauma, burn, neonatal, high risk pregnancy, hyperbaric medicine, stroke and myocardial infarction.[6] EastCare is most often sent for cardiac patients, followed by trauma, pediatric and neonatal patients.[7] The only air crash occurred on January 8, 1987 when everyone on board died.
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On December 18, 1984, the PCMH Board of Trustees budgeted $754,119 to set up a helicopter ambulance service.[8] It was established by PCMH on April 8, 1985.[9] On June 30, 1985, an open house was held to usher in the new ambulance service.[8]
| Original flight crew | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilots | Flight Nurses | ||
| Willie Dykes | Mike McGinnis(Chief Flight Nurse) | Dolly Bryan | Breda Hurdle |
| Sam Ewing | Mary Jo Bankhead | Pam Demaree | John Nelson |
| Perry Reynolds | Alena Bramble | Betty Harris | Cindy Raisor |
EastCare helped PCMH become a level 1 trauma center in November 1985.[8] It expanded to critical care ground transport in 1994.[10] By 2000, UHS adds a second helicopter to their fleet. Also, PCMH begins the construction of a new emergency department. The four-story emergency department is a two-helicopter rooftop landing pad which was complete in November 2003. The communication center is also located in this tower.[11][12] In 2009, the ground ambulances went on more than 10,000 trips.[13]
EastCare flew in a Bell 206L LongRanger helicopter to the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune on January 8, 1987 to transport Xenia Lewis, a 3-month-old, who was suffering from epileptic seizures.[8][14] The helicopter crashed around 9:30 pm in the Hoffman Forest, near Pollocksville in Jones County. Pilot Perry L. Reynolds, flight nurses Mike McGinnis and Pam Demaree, and the patient all died. The crew reported a fire on board during its last Mayday. Marine search and rescue from Air Station New River found the burning wreckage around 9:40 pm. Most of the cabin was burned away and the last body was removed at around 2:00 am and all taken to Jacksonville. The National Transportation Safety Boards preliminary results suggested the helicopter banked to the right with its nose down when it crashed.[8][15][16]
Annually, PCMH has the Lights of Love tree lighting ceremony, for the memory of the four people who died in the crash.[17]
On September 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd made landfall in North Carolina.[18] The Tar River, which runs through Greenville, suffered the worst flooding, exceeding 500-year flood levels along its lower stretches; it crested 24 feet (7.3 m) above flood stage.[19] Damages in Pitt County alone were estimated at $1.6 billion (1999 USD, $1.87 billion 2006 USD).[20]
PCMH turned into a landing zone for helicopters landing and departing. PCMH at the time owned one helicopter. EastCare flew 102 missions from landfall to ten days later. The first mission occurred on the afternoon of landfall. EastCare rescued a woman from Pinetops from her rooftop who was in labor.[21] The situation far exceeded PCMHs aerial capability. Mission St. Joseph's Health System in Asheville sent one helicopter for two days, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center sent two helicopters and two teams for six days and Rocky Mountain Air, the company that owned the EastCare helicopters at the time, sent one helicopter for two days. Many military helicopters from the North Carolina Air National Guard were used to help rescue survivors and bring them to the hospital.[21] At the height of the aftermath there were as many as thirty helicopter missions each day, more than ten times the rate normally. A few days after the storm hit, the staff was fatigued and was replaced. It became EastCares job to fly and pick up staff who work at the hospital. EastCare also transported patients and supplies to and from the hospital.[22]
EastCare currently owns three helicopters. The Eurocopter EC135T2+ is based at the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport in Elm City and two Eurocopter EC145, located at PCMH.[1] On September 25, 2007, UHS stationed one helicopter at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport so it will allow for shorter flight time, giving a better chance for the patient to arrive at PCMH within the golden hour.[1][12] The Elm City based helicopter serves the counties of Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Sampson, Wayne and Wilson. EastCare used Eurocopter helicopters since the mid-1980s. The three new helicopters are replacing three Eurocopter BK-117s that were operated on a lease arrangement and flown by Air Methods.[23] The helicopters run around 2,400 times per year, with the average one-way flight being 30 minutes.[10] The callsign for dispatch is "University Medical" and for the helicopters are "Air 1", "Air 2" and "Air 3".[4]
EastCare began critical care ground transport in 1994. The ambulances include two neonatal transfer ambulances and ten type-I ambulances. There are also six ambulances for advanced and basic life support. The ground transport vehicles are primary stationed either in Greenville or at one of the satellite stations. The other stations are Bertie County, Carteret County, Duplin County, Halifax County, Nash County and Onslow County.[12]
In 1993, it was the first program east of the Mississippi River and fifth overall to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. By 1996, it was the first program to be re-accredited and the first to be accredited for critical-care ground transport.[24] In 2000, it was selected as the Program of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services. It received the Helicopter World/Air Ambulance Search and Rescue 2001 Award for its work during Hurricane Floyd.[10]
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