posted December 10, 2024

Crew boasts more than 150 years of collective critical care experience  

Semmes, AL, Dec. 10, 2024 – Citizens in western Alabama and eastern Mississippi can rest easy knowing they are in good hands during an emergency requiring air medical transport, thanks to the extensive experience of USA SouthFlight. With over 150 years of collective critical care experience, the SouthFlight crew is equipped to expertly handle virtually any medical situation they may face. 

“The experience of the USA SouthFlight crew of pilots, mechanics, flight nurses, and flight paramedics plays a vital role in enhancing the community’s emergency response,” said Brent Wilson, area manager with Air Methods, the nation’s leading provider of emergency air medical service and the parent company of USA SouthFlight. “Their expertise and experience allow them to handle complex medical emergencies and care for trauma patients in transit, bridging the gap between remote locations and hospital care, making a profound impact on patient outcomes.” 

While all Air Methods clinicians are required to have at least three years of experience in an emergency room, intensive care unit, or critical care transport setting before joining a flight crew, most of USA SouthFlight’s crew members boast decades of experience. For Flight Nurse Willie Dawson, his experience alone spans two decades. 

“Being a flight nurse is one of the highest honors a nurse strives to achieve. We bring advanced nursing experience to prehospital patients and to ER and ICU patients requiring air medical transportation between medical facilities for specialized care,” said Dawson. “All of the experienced flight crew members work at the SouthFlight base because we live in our service area and want to provide the best care to the patients of our own community.” 

Providing that exceptional care to the people of Alabama and Mississippi is something the crew takes very seriously, and that mission has helped foster long-standing relationships within the team.  For brothers Ben and Lee Rumbley, both flight paramedics for USA SouthFlight, and say the crew is an extension to their family. 

“I think the base retains clinicians for so long because of our family atmosphere and the challenging medical conditions we see,” said Lee Rumbley, who has been with USA SouthFlight for nearly 30 years, while his brother Ben has been with the program for 20 years. “I hope our community knows we are committed to providing them a tremendous resource of highly trained and experienced clinicians that are ready to respond to them 24/7.” 

As a 20-year veteran of the program, Flight Nurse and Clinical Base Lead Julie McClinton knows firsthand how valuable this atmosphere is when providing the best in clinical care. 

“At USA Southflight, we are family,” said McClinton. “We have watched our children grow, shared joy as well as loss. We have always found a way to work through obstacles as a team. Our experience has allowed us to strengthen new crew members as fellow staff retire.” 

Adding to this expertise, all USA SouthFlight clinicians receive ongoing advanced training, and have access to Air Methods Ascend, an in-person and online training program that allows clinicians to perform at the top of their licensure.  

“When a patient’s injury or illness requires air medical attention, we rely on the experience, knowledge, and professionalism of the USA SouthFlight team,” said ASAP EMS Operations Manager Rusty Hembree. “Because they have been serving this community for such a long time, they have become known for the high level of care they provide and for their reliability. This has made them a trusted partner and we value the way our programs work together to ensure the fastest and the best care for the people of this area.” 

Air Methods is committed to providing air medical services to all members of the communities they serve. They are in-network with most major health insurance providers for emergency air medical services, and out-of-network patients will never receive a balance bill from Air Methods. Additionally, their patient advocacy program works with all patients, regardless of insurance, to ensure affordability.