Care Flight celebrates 17 years in Valley

Two organizations are celebrating the anniversary of bringing a life-saving measure to the Carson Valley.

Carson Valley Medical Center and Care Flight have been working together for 17 years, with the helicopter making a home in Gardnerville in 1999.

The partnership has been incredibly important for the Valley, and allows for help to be available much quicker.

“We work well as partners,” said Ron Luschar, Care Flight Business Development. “It allows us to be close to the hospital.”

CareFlight has been in business for 35 years, and has four locations in Reno, Truckee, Gardnerville and Fallon.

Markus Dorsey-Hirt, manager with Care Fight, said that Douglas County is one of the busiest locations with 369 of 588 calls coming out of this county in 2015.

Care Flight is very specific in their hiring process, with the pilots requiring more than 3,000 hours of flight time.

Care Flight is needed when the emergency is too great to handle during a drive, which is a decision that the ground providers would make, said Dorsey-Hirt.

The flight nurses are also extremely qualified, and can administer any needed medication or step in for a surgical intervention on the way to the hospital.

The partnership has saved many lives over the years, and Dorsey-Hirt credits the closeness of the two entities.

“It is such a big deal because we are working so closely with Carson Valley Medical Center,” he said. “It is a really good relationship.”