SANTA ROSA, Calif., May 20, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- REACH Air Medical Services announces the planned acquisition of Summit Air Ambulance from Texas Next Capital, based in San Antonio, TX.
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Summit is headquartered in Meridian, ID and uses medically configured helicopters and airplanes to transport injured patients from accident scenes and community hospitals to higher levels of care. Flight medics and nurses provide an ICU level of care during patient transports.
Summit and its affiliated companies have been providing critical care air medical services for 16 years and have transported over 7,000 critically ill and injured patients in Nevada and Montana. Summit operates a total of eight Agusta helicopters and Pilatus PC-12 airplanes from six bases in four locations in Nevada and Montana, with a new base opening in La Junta, CO in June.
REACH Air Medical Holdings, based in Santa Rosa, CA, operates from 27 bases throughout California, Oregon and Texas, with helicopters, planes and ground ambulances. REACH has transported more than 100,000 patients since its beginnings in Northern California in 1987.
REACH President Sean Russell said, "REACH is excited to have the opportunity to be part of serving the Nevada and Montana communities Summit has partnered with so well, and to serve the hospitals in and around Pueblo, CO beginning in June. Summit has become an integral member of the critical care and emergency response system in these communities and we look forward to supporting and continuing those services. We have received very positive feedback from Summit customers and employees about the acquisition and have planned a transition that will smoothly enhance Summit's service to customers and patients without interruption."
Summit Chief Executive Officer Monty Gallegos said, "We are very proud to have worked with first responders and hospital partners in Northern Nevada and Montana to provide quality care and quick response in emergency situations. In some communities, the life-saving resource Summit brought was not available at all, and in other communities, we were able to work with our partners to make important enhancements to the quality, safety and stability of the available air medical care. We are excited about the expanded resources REACH will provide including additional aircraft, specialized training and CAMTS accreditation to serve our customers and employees even better."
Patients who are currently part of Summit's Membership Plan will continue to receive the valuable benefits of membership. Over the next few months, Summit Membership Plan participants will transition to REACH's AirMedCare Network, the largest air medical transport membership network in the U.S., and will receive expanded benefits and reciprocal coverage with a number of other air transport programs.
REACH invests in customers through safety and clinical education training for emergency and hospital personnel throughout their footprint, sharing of clinical data and knowledge, and a robust customer service response program aimed at continuous improvement of service.
About REACH Air Medical Services and Cal-Ore Life Flight
REACH Medical Holdings, LLC, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, operates REACH Air Medical Services and Cal-Ore Life Flight providing critical care air and ground transport service to communities throughout California, Oregon and South Texas. In 2011, Cal-Ore Life Flight, headquartered in Brookings, OR, merged with REACH to provide expanded air ambulance services in Northern California and Oregon. REACH has provided safe, patient-centered care for more than 28 years and successfully transported more than 100,000 patients to needed care. REACH and Cal-Ore employ hundreds of highly-trained nurses, medics, pilots and aircraft maintenance technicians to provide service to patients utilizing a fleet of 18 medically equipped helicopters, nine airplanes, and nine ground ambulances. REACH and Cal-Ore Life Flight are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Services (CAMTS), which is the gold standard for patient care and safety for air medical transport services. For more information, visit www.REACHair.com.
About AirMedCare Network
REACH Air Medical Services is part of the AirMedCare Network. AirMedCare Network is America's largest air medical transport membership network, providing emergency access to the highest level of care for its 1.7 million members. The AirMedCare Network combines the membership programs of many leading air ambulance operators in 27 states from more than 200 air transport locations. For more information about membership, visit www.airmedcarenetwork.com.
About Texas Next Capital
Texas Next Capital is a private equity partnership of 45 family offices and business leaders across the Lone Star State dedicated to building Texas companies with Texas capital. Texas Next invests in companies with $2 to $10 million in EBITDA and uses the local relationships and business experience of its statewide network of partners to identify and drive value through attractive company investments. For more information about Texas Next Capital, visit texasnextcapital.com or call Steve Hassmann at (210) 826-2250.
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