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CareFlight reports steady call volume and local partnerships; county seeks solutions to hospital transport distances
Summary
CareFlight told the court it responded to 3,389 calls in the quarter, transported 2,102 patients and averaged a 12‑minute response time. Officials said many patients go to hospitals outside the county because local facilities lack some services.
CareFlight representatives gave Johnson County Commissioners a first‑quarter operational report and outlined outreach, membership and air‑transport activity in the county.
Branch Stovall, identified in the meeting as CareFlight's operations chief, said the service responded to 3,389 calls and transported 2,102 patients in the quarter. He reported an overall compliance rate of 97 percent and a transport rate of about 62 percent, figures Stovall said are near national averages. He said the average response time in the county was 12 minutes, 17 seconds.
Why patients travel farther: Stovall and county officials said many patients are taken outside the county because nearby hospitals do not offer every specialty. "If it has the potential to be pregnant or is pregnant, we're not going there," he said, explaining that transports go to centers that can accept obstetric cases, stroke or heart attack patients. Stovall said Methodist Mansfield and other regional hospitals have served as partners and that Methodist Mansfield now operates as a Level II trauma center.
Air transport and mutual aid: The report showed 75 helicopter standbys, 14 weather‑related declines, and 14 patients flown from the county in the quarter. Stovall said the numbers indicate most urgent care is handled by ground transport. He credited Burleson Fire Department and other local agencies for stationing vehicles and supporting response times.
Community outreach and memberships: CareFlight described community programs such as "coffee with medics," CPR training for churches, safety days, and participation in school and community events. Stovall said membership enrollment is promoted at those events and noted a near‑drowning pediatric response that the service will recognize at a local ceremony.
What the court discussed: Commissioners and the judge raised ambulance access and the closure of rural hospitals, with one official describing the creation of "ambulance deserts" in some parts of Texas. County leaders said legislation such as HB3000 is under consideration to address rural ambulance funding and that federal assistance discussions are underway.
No county action was taken in the May 12 meeting; the presentation was informational.
