Business View Magazine | February 2021

139 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021 YAK IMA A I R TERMINAL – MCALL I STER F I EL After a tragic house fire in Sitka, Alaska claimed the lives of three children, Dr. Michael Copass, Director of Emergency Services at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, founded the region’s first air medical transport service in 1982. His mission was to provide the highest-quality critical care wherever and whenever it is needed most. As a not-for-profit service of UW Medicine, Airlift Northwest continues to be guided by that same founding passion to provide lifesaving care, especially in rural areas with limited access to emergency services. It puts the latest discoveries, expertise, and innovative technology of UW Medicine into the air to help those in greatest need. They operate out of eight bases throughout Washington and Southeast Alaska, working with local first responders and hospitals to transport 3,600 patients annually throughout the Pacific and Intermountain Northwest regions. Airlift Northwest’s aircraft are flying ICUs. They use equipment onboard that is typically only available in the best hospitals, including cardiac balloon pumps, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), neonatal isolettes, and blood and plasma on every flight that has been proven to increase survival rates. They are crewed by the highest-trained flight nurses and physicians, offering a higher degree of critical care. ...... Learn more: airliftnw.org