CareFlight asks Warren County for $1 million to help fund new helicopter

CareFlight representatives asked the Warren County Board of Commissioners on the record to consider a $1,000,000 county contribution toward the purchase of a new air medical helicopter and described plans to base a maintenance hub at Warren County Airport.

Amanda McClure, vice president for emergency and trauma services at Premier Health, and a Premier/Foundation representative outlined program scale and need. McClure said CareFlight has transported “more than 90,000 patients” since 1983 and that one aircraft and base are currently stationed at the Warren County Airport. The presenter said one of two new aircraft being procured will be based in Warren County in 2025 and that the airport’s Hangar 23 will house maintenance operations.

Why it matters: The group said the Warren County base is the busiest in the system and argued that county support would help leverage municipal contributions. The foundation representative told commissioners that Middletown has pledged $450,000 and that CareFlight is requesting $1,000,000 from Warren County toward a $13.5 million capital cost for a replacement aircraft. The presenters emphasized they are not asking for operational funds and offered to accept a county pledge spread over five years if helpful.

What the presenters said: McClure described technical and safety upgrades on the new Leonardo AW169 aircraft, including two engines, synthetic-vision avionics and an alternate power unit (APU) mode that improves safety and turnaround times. On billing and economics, presenters said transport charges are billed to patient insurance as part of hospital charges and that, “CareFlight by itself… does not make money for our organization,” meaning the program requires subsidy by the health system.

Board questions and legal checks: Commissioners pressed on local usage and cost-effectiveness, asking how many Warren County residents use the service (presenters cited about 650 county residents over a 10-year period on one slide and said roughly 1,300 air transports per year system-wide). County counsel advised the board that ORC 307.691 permits the board of county commissioners to give financial assistance to a nonprofit that provides ambulance or emergency medical services, and that the county typically documents such arrangements with a cooperative agreement that includes audit provisions.

Conflict and procedure: Early in the item one commissioner announced a conflict and said she would recuse from that portion of the agenda; later in the meeting the record shows a roll call on a separate motion in which three commissioners were recorded as voting yes. The transcript contains both the recusal announcement and a later roll-call response; county staff should confirm the official minutes for the record.

Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to draft appropriate paperwork and to analyze budget impacts; one commissioner said he expected a recommendation from staff and that the board would know by next week whether to proceed. Presenters said county support would help unlock additional municipal contributions and that they would continue outreach to neighboring jurisdictions.