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Celebrating 40 Years
Help us reach our goal of raising $1,000,000 for a new navigation system to ensure the fastest and safest response time possible.
For the past 40 years, the Sentara Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance has flown more than 24,000 critically ill and injured patients to the most appropriate hospital, when minutes count. Nightingale is part of the Sentara Healthcare not-for-profit mission to improve health every day, flying all patients regardless of their ability to pay. We thank our Nightingale crews, community, and donors for ongoing support of this program and its invaluable impact on the communities we serve.
In 1981, Edward M. Holmes III, the Administrator of Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital, an entity of Medical Center Hospitals Corporation, was wholly responsible for the conception and effort to develop an air ambulance service located at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Supported by pioneers including Glenn Mitchell, the late CEO of Sentara, and physicians Ron Brown and Frank Yeiser, the dream of Nightingale began. On Oct. 6, 1981, this service, which Ed trademarked as Nightingale, both "to honor the Nurse" and to engender the idea of the "friendly bird that flies at night," was approved. The total capital expenditure, at the time, was forecasted to be $47,000.
Nightingale completed its first mission on Feb. 25, 1982, flying a patient with an intracranial bleed from Virginia Beach General Hospital to the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. In its first year, the service flew 286 patient missions and by the end of five years had safely flown 2,267 patients and changed its aircraft from a Bell 206 to a Eurocopter BO105.
In the last 40 years, over 24,000 patients have been transported by Nightingale without incident. Nightingale's success must be attributed to the dedicated efforts of literally thousands of people over the years who have supported and utilized this air-medical service. We wish to thank all those who have contributed to our operations and we look forward to continuing our mission to serve the community.
In operations on land and at sea, the EC145 is at the top of its class in the medium-sized, twin-engine helicopter category. This multi-mission helicopter combines Eurocopter's latest developments such as an advanced cockpit design, avionics and a sophisticated electrical system. The EC145 offers a proven hingeless rotor system with a monolithic titanium hub and enhanced rotor blades which ensure low noise and vibration levels. The EC145 combines Eurocopter's latest technical developments. The EC145's hingeless rotor system with its monolithic titanium hub is fully proven. In addition to environmental and economical aspects, the rotor system together with high time between overhaul (TBO) gearbox and airframe components allow for low maintenance costs, in addition to high in-service time of the helicopter due to the low level of scheduled maintenance required. The EC145 is equipped with two powerful and reliable Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 engines which, in combination with its lifting system, provide outstanding performance and vital power reserves even in one-engine-inoperative scenarios. Twin-engine reliability is complemented by a fully separated fuel system, a tandem hydraulic system, dual electrical system and redundant lubrication for the main transmission. Further positive safety aspects of the EC145 are design elements like energy absorbing fuselage and seats, as well as crash-resistant fuel cells.
Technological Advances
- Satellite and onboard weather radar Single-pilot IFR certified
- Night vision capability
- Autopilot
- Satellite tracking
- Patient care flexibility
Potential for instrument flight (reducing missed flights due to weather)
Teamwork, communications skills and creative training have always been the hallmarks of this program. Standard briefing and debriefing procedures that bring us together at the beginning of each shift and after each call are designed to generate discussion on mission task requirements and to focus the team on mission accomplishments.
Although Nightingale's statistics over its 40 year history are impressive, it is the program's absolute commitment to training and safety that makes this service notable. This commitment began at the program's inception. More recently, the Nightingale team developed specific protocols and procedures to safely transport COVID patients, and was the first in the region to transport a COVID positive patient for advanced care.