Life Flight Network has transported over 700 cases of COVID-19 in the region

BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Life Flight Network has provided critical care, and transport for over 700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana.

Tim Beard, a Flight Nurse at Life Flight, says they take COVID-19 seriously and wear PPE like gowns, goggles, and masks.

"For the last 3 or 4 months at least we have been wearing N95's on all patients because there are so many asymptomatic patients or unknown patients with covid," Beard said.

Dr. Julie Mills is an Emergency Room Director at Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert. She says Life Flight Network has been a huge help to the hospital, especially with transporting COVID-19 patients who need ICU-level care.

"We have had them get into the hospital at a time where our patients really start to tank, so they will jump in and help and be right alongside us," Mills said.

Beard said all of the Life Flight Network planes, helicopters, and ambulances have everything you need in an ICU, like ventilators and infusion pumps.

"It's basically a flying ICU whether it's a helicopter or the airplane," Beard said.

Beard says Life Flight Network is helping hospitals big and small, by transporting patients from rural hospitals to city hospitals. Many rural hospitals are struggling with bed capacity, but Beard says some city hospitals are utilizing Life Flight Network due to low hospital capacity.

"In my personal experience I've taken patients from bigger facilities that just simply didn't have beds available and they have a covid patient sitting in their ER waiting for an ICU bed at their facility," Beard said.

Mills says she is grateful for the help Life Flight Network has provided to Minidoka Memorial Hospital.

"It makes the nerves of working on the front line so much easier, knowing that I have a team that is able to come in and jump in with us and take my report and get these patients where they need to be," Mills said.

Life Flight Network says in Idaho alone, they have transported 200 cases of COVID-19.

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