Metro West Ambulance--Transition Of Life Flight Network Non-Emergent Ground Operations -06/19/24

On Monday, Metro West Ambulance and Life Flight Network management teams met with employees affected by the transitioning of non-emergent ground transport services from Life Flight Network to Metro West. 

Metro West Ambulance has had a great working relationship with Life Flight Network over the years, caring for patients together. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Life Flight Network stepped up to provide non-emergent transport services when their Portland owner hospitals were left in a pinch due to another provider leaving the market. While it has been their privilege to serve the community in this capacity, both organizations have concluded transitioning non-emergent transport services to Metro West Ambulance will increase capacity and efficiency for the Portland area. This transition will allow both organizations to better serve the community with Life Flight Network focusing on its core business of providing premier air medical care and transport while Metro West builds on its well-established ground inter-facility transfer (IFT) and non-emergency medical transports (NEMT) including Advanced Life Support, Basic Life Support, and ICU Level Critical Care ambulance service. Additionally Metro West offers wheelchair transportation and Secure Transport services for behavioral health patients. This move positions both organizations with the ability to provide sustainable emergent and non-emergent medical services and transportation to those who need them. 

All eligible field staff in Life Flight Network’s non-emergent ground medical transport division in the Portland metro region that are impacted by this transition were extended contingent job offers with Metro West Ambulance. Metro West is offering incoming Life Flight Network employees fully paid education to advance their careers including Paramedic, EMT and EMR training. A program in which Metro West Ambulance has already invested over 4 million dollars to their employees’ educations. There have been a small number of staffing redundancies identified and those employees not offered a position at Metro West Ambulance have been encouraged to apply for appropriate open positions at Life Flight Network or offered severance. 

During this transition, there will be no disruption or elimination of any services. This transition does not affect any emergency services provided by Life Flight Network nor does it affect any ground medical transportation services offered by Metro West Ambulance. Both Metro West and Life Flight Network’s focus will continue to be the patients they are entrusted to care for and the staff providing that care. 

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