Dr. Kathryn Bertany speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
Dr. Kathryn Bertany speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
A Life Flight Network employee attends a press conference announcing a partnership between Life Flight and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
Dr. David Parks, trauma center medical director, speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
A Citation CJ4 plane is parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021.
A Pilatus PC-12 and Citation CJ4 are parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021.
A Citation CJ4 is parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021. The CJ4 can fly up to 450 mph for about five hours before it needs to refuel.
Dr. Kathryn Bertany speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
A Life Flight Network employee attends a press conference announcing a partnership between Life Flight and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
A Citation CJ4 plane is parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021.
A Citation CJ4 is parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021. The CJ4 can fly up to 450 mph for about five hours before it needs to refuel.
Rachel Leathe/Chronicle
Let the news come to you
Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
Bozeman Health and air and ground medical transport service Life Flight Network on Friday announced a new partnership, which officials say will provide faster and more efficient ambulatory services for patients who need to get from hospital to hospital fast.
“As the region grows, we just need more resources at all levels,” said Dr. Kathryn Bertany, the president of Deaconess Hospital and Big Sky Medical Center, at a press conference in the Life Flight Network hangar at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. “We are super excited about our new partnership with Life Flight.”
Dr. Kathryn Bertany speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
Rachel Leathe/Chronicle
Life Flight Network, a nonprofit operation like Bozeman Health, operates helicopters, fixed-wing planes and ground ambulances based throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, according to a news release. Life Flight has been in the region for more than 40 years and transports more than 40,000 patients each year, said to CEO Mike Griffiths.
“We felt we were uniquely qualified to offer this service,” Griffiths said. “Time’s of the essence, and getting patients to and from where they need to go is challenging and you need to have people who know what they’re doing.”
The air transport services offered by Life Flight will mostly be used for transporting patients from hospital to hospital, freeing local ground ambulances to respond to other emergencies instead of transporting patients.
A Pilatus PC-12 and Citation CJ4 are parked outside the Life Flight Network hangar during a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021.
Rachel Leathe/Chronicle
“That could be transporting to Deaconess Hospital … or it could be a patient that’s at Deaconess and needs a higher level of care,” Bertany said.
The partnership has been in the works for about 18 months and started with Bozeman’s Health Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
“We recognized that we had to be sure we had a neonatal transport team available,” Bertany said.
Dr. David Parks, a trauma care medical doctor with Bozeman Heath, said the service was necessary because of growth in Bozeman and the surrounding area.
“We’re already busier this year than we were last year,” Parks said. “I think this will be a big improvement.”
Dr. David Parks, trauma center medical director, speaks at a press conference to announce a partnership between Life Flight Network and Bozeman Health on Friday, March 19, 2021, at the Life Flight Network Bozeman Hangar.
Rachel Leathe/Chronicle
Parks said that often Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is able to take care of its patients that arrive with traumatic injuries, but that it’s not uncommon for those people to have neurosurgical needs or require other specialized care they can’t get in Bozeman or even in Montana. Life Flight will help get those patients to other hospitals quickly.
Montana Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines issued a statement Friday afternoon commending the partnership.
“Thank you Bozeman Health and Life Flight Network for partnering to ensure Bozeman area patients have access to needed medical care,” Daines said. “This is another step toward ensuring Montanans are connected to healthcare.”
This story has been updated to correct a misspelling.
Let the news come to you
Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
Send us your thoughts and feedback as a letter to the editor. Submit by email, by post to 2820 W. College St., Bozeman, MT 59718 or use our online form.
Support quality local journalism. Become a subscriber.
Subscribers get full, survey-free access to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle's award-winning coverage both on our website and in our e-edition, a digital replica of the print edition.
