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Survival Flight begins service at Eureka Springs Hospital as emergency visits surge
Summary
At the May 18 commission meeting, CEO Tiffany Meeks announced the hospital launched Survival Flight service and reported sharp ED volume increases and high patient satisfaction, while clinics reopened and a UAMS mobile clinic is set to begin in June.
Tiffany Meeks, chief executive officer of Eureka Springs Hospital, told the commission at its May 18 meeting that the hospital celebrated a ribbon cutting and the first day of service for Survival Flight, calling the event "a monumental occasion" that expands access to critical emergency care for the region.
Meeks said the hospital is seeing sustained growth in emergency use: ED patient volume rose from 510 (January–April 2025) to 789 (January–April 2026), and EMS encounters increased from 105 to 259 in the same comparison. "These increases reflect substantial growth in emergency services utilization and demonstrate continued community reliance on our hospital for emergency care access," Meeks said.
The CEO also highlighted patient-experience data: in April, 33% of patients reached for follow-up (240 encounters) responded to the phone survey; 99% rated their care a five and 99% said they would recommend the hospital. "Patients first, people matter, progress always," Meeks said in the report.
Meeks said outpatient clinics officially reopened inside the hospital on May 3; additional specialty clinic partnerships are planned for June. A UAMS Women’s Health Mobile Clinic will hold a ribbon cutting May 27 and is scheduled to begin services on June 9.
Hospital leadership summarized emergency preparedness work and recent exercises. Meeks reviewed the April 29 Northwest Arkansas Coalition disaster exercise, which identified strengths in incident command, patient-transfer coordination and new radio communications, and weaknesses including generator reliability and registration challenges for newer staff. Meeks said the hospital has contacted the generator company for immediate evaluation and will implement additional registration training and a director callback protocol.
Commissioners and staff praised the outreach and community turnout surrounding the Survival Flight dedication and clinic reopenings. The commission’s next regular meeting is scheduled for June 15 at 1:00 p.m.
