Emergency Air Transport

Both Medical Center Hospital and Odessa Regional Medical Center are equipped with helipads that allow emergency air transports from area communities and area hospitals. Many air ambulance companies fly to the Odessa hospitals. Due to CareStar Flight Service’s bases located in Odessa and Fort Stockton, CareStar flies patients to Odessa hospitals most frequently. CareStar operates a Bell 407 helicopter which is outfitted with the latest medical equipment. It services seventeen surrounding West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico communities. The Bell 407, with a top speed of 160 mph, is fast becoming the most popular EMS helicopter in the nation based on its reliability and unsurpassed record of safety and performance. Patients transported in CareStar benefit from the availability of a portable oxygen system, suction system, cardiac monitors, defibrillator with pacing capability, and auxiliary power converter for in-flight medical procedures.

With on-scene capability, CareStar Flight Service is able to provide trauma care and rapid transport for critically injured patients. The service also transports patients from outlying regional hospitals for advanced care and treatment. Most recently, the addition of Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) patients has made it possible for those born prematurely or with difficulties to be quickly flown to a Level III NICU located in Odessa. The precious minutes saved by flying rather than being transported via ground ambulance just may make all of the difference in that baby’s life.