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County committee approves transfer of air‑ambulance COPCN from Nicklaus Children’s to Rocky Mountain Holdings
Summary
A Miami‑Dade County transportation committee voted unanimously to approve transferring Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) MD-17 for air ambulance services from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to Rocky Mountain Holdings LLC/Air Methods, citing continuity of pediatric transport services.
The Miami‑Dade County Transportation Committee unanimously approved a resolution to transfer Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (COPCN) MD‑17 for air ambulance services from Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to Rocky Mountain Holdings LLC (doing business with Air Methods).
The committee heard from Shannon O’Dell, vice president and chief nursing officer at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, who described the hospital’s pediatric transport program and the rationale for the transfer. “Nichlaus Children’s is the only licensed specialty children’s hospital in South Florida,” O’Dell said. “Our Life Flight Critical Care Transport team provides expert pediatric and neonatal transport for children of our community. Our program safely transports over 4,000 infants and children and more than 300 of those are by air or by rotor transport.”
O’Dell told the committee that a change in the hospital’s transport model — with Air Methods assuming the COPCN and acting as the air medical transport vendor — will allow the hospital to focus on providing clinical care during transports. Committee members did not ask substantive follow‑up questions during the public hearing. A member of the public, Daniela Pierre, a representative of Transport Workers Union Local 291, registered opposition to a related item and noted outreach with the committee; that comment was recorded as part of the public hearing process but did not alter the committee’s vote on the COPCN transfer.
The committee called for any administrative follow‑up needed to move the item to the full Board of County Commissioners. The record includes a final roll call showing the motion passed unanimously.
The transfer of a COPCN is an administrative action affecting who holds the county’s authorization to provide air medical transport. Committee members asked staff to ensure the item is appropriately sponsored and documented before it moves to the full commission for final action.
No budgetary figures tied directly to the COPCN transfer were provided at the committee meeting. The committee did not adopt additional conditions or amendments on the transfer at this session.
