Global Medical Response confirmed it has temporarily paused all Hawaii Life Flight air ambulances — which transport medical patients between Hawaii’s islands — after one of the planes with a crew of three went missing Thursday night.
“That means we don’t have any option to fly out for maybe about the next 24 hours or at least until (Saturday) morning,” said Elena Cabatu, Hilo Medical Center spokeswoman.
Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation Friday in response to the Hawaii Life Flight medical aircraft that went missing off the coast of Maui en route to pick up a patient from North Hawaii Community Hospital.
“The emergency proclamation gives our state the ability to supplement Hawaii’s medical airlift capacity with aircraft and flight crews from other states and permits out-of-state actively licensed and certified emergency medical personnel to be employed as certified flight paramedics and registered nurses on medical transport aircrafts,” according to a press release from the governor’s office,
On average, Hilo Medical Center uses the air ambulances to transport between 30 to 40 patients per month to Oahu, including those with head injuries, severe strokes or heart attacks, and high risk obstetric and pediatric cases,
“That’s a little more than one a day,” said Cabatu. “Hilo Medical Center did not have anyone to fly out (on Friday), fortunately.”
Green and his administration are coordinating efforts between Hawaii Life Flight, the state Department of Health, the Army National Guard, all county mayors, the Coast Guard, and medical facilities and personnel throughout the state and on the mainland to maintain uninterrupted emergency transport services between the islands.
“We’ve been preparing our medical staff to take care of higher-level patients and working with other hospitals around the island,” said Cabatu. “This is an emergency, and we need to at least be able to take care of our patients while we wait for emergency medical transport to come back online.”
Mayor Mitch Roth issued a statement urging residents to be extra cautious over the coming week to help keep medical air transport needs on Hawaii Island to a minimum.
“Our medical providers are working together to help pool resources so that we can keep as many of our patients on-island as possible,” the statement said. “The coming days will be a strain on normal day-to-day operations, but we want the community to know that the county, state, and local medical providers are working together to find solutions that ensure adequate care for all of our residents.”
Cabatu noted the temporary pause highlights the ongoing need for expanded beds and services for neighbor island hospitals and medical centers.
“Today, we had holds in the Emergency Department, but we know this is an emergency situation,” said Cabatu. “Like we did in COVID, we have to and will find a way to make it work and care for our patients.”
Cabatu confirmed HMC will continue to provide all hemodialysis services during the crisis.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the search for the three missing Hawaii Life Flight crew members will continue today and Saturday.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
