HCA Florida Healthcare has launched a new air ambulance service aimed at cutting emergency transport times nearly in half for rural communities in western North Central Florida.
The service, HCA Florida AirLife, began transporting patients last week through a partnership with Air Methods, according to a March 25 news release. The medical helicopters are based in Chiefland, Fla., and serve patients in Florida’s Levy and Gilchrist counties, where hospital travel times can exceed an hour.
The helicopters function as flying ICUs, staffed with flight nurses and paramedics trained to provide critical care for patients experiencing trauma, stroke and other medical emergencies.
In 2025, Air Methods transported more than 2,800 critical care patients to 83 different HCA Florida Healthcare facilities statewide.
