CareFlight

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CareFlight
IATA
 ICAO
CFH		 Callsign
CareFight
Founded 1986
Hubs Darwin International Airport
Fleet size 7
Headquarters Sydney, New South Wales
Key people Andrew Refshauge
Website http://www.careflight.org

CareFlight is an aero-medical charity established in 1986 by a group of Australian doctors. CareFlight uses a variety of aircraft including aero-medical helicopters, jets and aeroplanes to bring injured and ill patients within Australia and overseas to emergency hospital care. Its main focus is to provide a critical care specialist who can perform "physician only" procedures to the very ill who need to be moved between hospitals and the severely injured that need to be treated at the accident scene.

Description

A CareFlight AW109 helicopter on take-off from Sydney Olympic Park

CareFlight has a strong focus on teaching and medical research, refining aero-medical equipment and procedures to enhance capability.[citation needed] Some of the aero-medical innovations that CareFlight has introduced include Stretcher Bridge which has become standard equipment for aero-medical transport around the world,[citation needed] retrieval packs, night vision goggles for aero-medical purposes, and now rapid response physician intervention for head injuries. CareFlight train trauma specialists and senior registrars in critical care in the transport and pre-hospital and inter-hospital environments. The organisation also holds teaching accreditation with the Critical Care Colleges.[citation needed]

In 2010 CareFlight commenced operations for an interim fixed-wing aeromedical contract to the NT Government for the provision of aeromedical services to the Top End . In June 2011 the NT Government announced the award of a 10 year Aero Medical Services Contract to CareFlight, utilising a fleet of four Beechcraft 200C Super King Air aircraft until 2023.

CareFlight launched the CareFlight MediSim program.[citation needed] CareFlight MediSim is a medical simulation program designed to better prepare emergency service volunteers in rural areas for treating trauma patients. These emergency service volunteers are often the first ones to arrive on scene of a major trauma incident and what they do in the first few minutes can have a major impact on the outcome of the patient.[citation needed] This program has the potential to save many more lives in local communities. The program, provided at no or low cost to participants, will benefit all those who live in rural and remote areas. It began in 2011 with 15 courses in NSW and in 2012 we are committed to providing 30 courses across 3 states of Australia and continuing this expansion in 2013.[citation needed]

CareFlight International Air Ambulance is an aero-medical retrieval and repatriation service which attends missions anywhere in the world. This operation was established in 1990, attending to around 300 missions per year. The revenue generated by CareFlight international Air Ambulance missions goes directly to supporting its charitable operations.

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