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Aeromedical evacuation brings Haiti victims to America for medical care

  • Published
  • By Headquarters Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Air Mobility Command -- through the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center and its partners -- has aeromedically evacuated 86 patients from Haiti to the United States for care since the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the country Jan. 12.

Aeromedical evacuation planning is accomplished by the 618th TACC at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., the lead agency for worldwide air mobility operations.

"Our teams will do anything we can to save lives," said Lt. Col Duncan Smith, chief of the 618th TACC's aeromedical evacuation branch, "which is exactly why we have aeromedical evacuation professionals on our operations floor 24/7."

Aeromedical evacuation plays a critical role in global military operations daily, including in current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009, AMC aircrews and aeromedical evacuation crews flew 19,025 patient movements worldwide, averaging out to more than 52 patient movements per day.

A Mobile Aeromedical Staging Facility was also set up in Haiti to help in disaster relief. A MASF is a completely self-sustaining field hospital with a 13 person staff of medical technicians, nurses and support staff. The MASF provides specialized medical care to patients needing aeromedical evacuation. Ideally, patients will have been seen by an initial medical team before being sent to MASF facility.

Medical support for Operation Unified Response come from all over the U.S. including the 375th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Scott AFB, 45th AES at MacDill AFB, Fla., 94th AES from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., 88th Medical Group of Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 6th MDG also from MacDill and the Global Patient Movement Requirements Center of the U.S. Transportation Command.

"Business for us is getting patients to the care they need, no matter what," said Colonel Smith. "In some cases, it means we get to help save lives and you can't beat that feeling."

The 618th TACC has planned, tasked and provided command-and-control over all of the aeromedically evacuations out of Haiti by AMC aircraft.

Since the earthquake rattled the small country AMC has flown 231 arrivals into Haiti, moving more than 5,000 tons of cargo into the country and returned more than 4,000 American citizens to the U.S.  (618th Tanker Airlift Control Center Public Affairs contributed to this article.)