GPS Technology Firm Donates Helicopter Navigation Tool To Air Medical Community

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Air medical services providers have a chance to add a new tool to their safety program, and at a discount. Satellite Technology International, Inc. (STI) has donated a Helicopter global positioning system (GPS) approach to be auctioned off to air medical providers by the Association of Critical Care Transport (ACCT).

GPS approaches offer point in space navigation for helicopters during times of instrument flight rules (IFR) flying—necessary when bad weather decreases visibility and cloud cover is lower. GPS approach technology allows medical helicopters to fly safely directly to hospitals or other designated locations to pick up patients, saving critical time. Without GPS approaches even helicopters flying IFR would be required to land at airports that have instrument approaches. This would mean a patient would need to be transported by ground to meet the helicopter at the airport. GPS approaches save precious time for patients and provide additional safety.
“As the world’s leader of helicopter GPS approach development, STI has always believed that IFR transport is one of the safest and most reliable means of transport for the HEMS community,” says Greg Keller, CEO of STI. “STI believes in the values that ACCT expresses and wanted to help promote these values to all of the HEMS community across the country. In this light, STI is proud to announce the donation of a helicopter GPS approach to the Association of Critical Care Transport.”
GPS approaches enhance the safety of the helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) flight crews and patients while providing increased services in a wider variety of weather conditions.
“We greatly appreciate the generosity of STI in providing this valuable resource that we can offer to helicopter emergency medical services,” says Lisa Tofil, executive director of ACCT. “ACCT is an advocate for safe, integrated, quality, and efficient critical care transport for patients and offering this tool to members of ACCT and other air medical services providers helps to fulfill our mission.”

Over the last 15 years STI has completed over 400 helicopter GPS approaches and numerous helicopter GPS routes throughout the country. More information on STI is available at www.stigps.com.
The auctioning of the GPS approach, with an approximate value of $20,000, is scheduled to conclude at the ACCT annual meeting which will be held in San Diego on July 26, 2010. The bidding process begins online at noon on Monday, July 19 and will close at 4:30 p.m. (PDT), Monday, July 26, 2010 for non-ACCT members. An additional 45 minutes, until 5:15 p.m. (PDT), will be reserved for bidding by ACCT members only. Bids can be placed via the following email address: ACCTforPatients@gmail.com. More information can be found at www.acctforpatients.org. Daily bid updates will be posted on ACCT’s website and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ACCTForPatients.

About ACCT:
The Association of Critical Care Transport (ACCT) is a non-profit grassroots patient advocacy organization committed to ensuring that critically ill and injured patients have access to the safest and highest quality critical care transport system possible. ACCT is comprised of air and ground critical care transport providers, business organizations, associations, and individuals all striving to provide our communities, hospitals and EMS partners in care, regulators, and policy makers with a path toward a safer and more trustworthy critical care transport system for patients.