Mercy Air Contract Approved In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a five-year agreement between the Riverside County Emergency Management Department and a helicopter ambulance service to perform medical evacuations countywide, the second such contract established this year.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on the compact with Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Mercy Air Methods, better known as Mercy Air.

Mercy Air, REACH Air Medical Services and other private flight assets have been utilized in the county for decades, most often employed by Cal Fire and municipalities' public safety agencies.

The new Air Ambulance Agreement is retroactive to Feb. 1 and will expire on Jan. 31, 2029.

The board authorized a nearly identical contract with REACH in January, though that agreement included provisions for utilization of the medical evacuation choppers by the California Highway Patrol.

The Mercy Air compact meets criteria established under the California Health & Safety Code pertaining to "helicopter emergency medical services" programs, according to the EMD.

"(The county) is dedicated to providing emergency medical services in support of the public health and welfare of residents," according to an agency statement. "Such medical assistance is particularly enhanced by the use of certified emergency medical response personnel, such as that of helicopter emergency medical services."

Mercy Air's deployments are part of the county's comprehensive Emergency Medical Services Plan, officials said.

There was no dollar amount attached to the agreement because patients will be responsible for their own transportation costs in the event of a medical emergency requiring a helicopter with advanced life support systems.

Air Methods is owned by a private equity firm, which has had controlling authority since the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last year, according to published reports.