Med-Trans Air Medical Transitions Tahlequah, Okla. Base to First Flight

Kim Stevens Featured, Oklahoma

First Flight OKeditThe former EagleMed air medical transport base in Tahlequah has been renamed First Flight and is now being operated by national air medical transport leader Med-Trans Corporation.

“Although we have a new name, the same amazing medical and flight crews based in Tahlequah remain on the job and committed to providing the very best in patient care,” said Patrick Barkley, Med-Trans  program manager in Tahlequah. “This base is staffed with dedicated crew members that care deeply about their patients and take great pride in representing Tahlequah and Cherokee County.”

Med-Trans service in the area stems from a joint venture to serve Northeastern Health Systems and the Cherokee Nation. The base is staffed by flight crews including pilots and a mechanic along with a nursing staff and paramedic staff both backed by physician oversight.

Med-Trans bases a medically equipped Bell 407GXP helicopter at Northeastern Health System that serves the citizens of north, mid and southeast Oklahoma as well as north and mid-south Arkansas.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.