The medical helicopter industry has come under great public scrutiny recently – particularly regarding safety and appropriate usage concerns – but also in relation to questions over foreign travel access and evacuation-insurance coverage, which have been prompted by the death of actress Natasha Richardson from a traumatic brain injury after a fall on a Canadian ski slope. To help the public better understand the issues, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) is conducting a public education campaign regarding the importance of air medical transport in our nation, particularly in rural and other underserved areas. “Most people don’t realize the life-and-death role that emergency medical helicopters play in our healthcare system,” said Sandy Kinkade, president of AAMS. “But the critically ill and injured are airlifted once every 90 seconds in our nation. That’s why it’s important to have medevac services in places where they are needed – because the life saved might be yours or a loved one’s.” AAMS is well aware of the recent intolerable increase in fatal medical helicopter crashes, and as a result has put forward several proposals aimed at making medevac flights safer.