Josephine County residents can now join and renew Mercy Flights membership directly with Mercy Flights. Previously, residents could purchase joint ground and air ambulance membership through AMR (American Medical Response), but AMR has changed their enrollment process and will no longer be offering Mercy Flights as an option.
“We have been caring for our Josephine County neighbors for 70 years and we will continue to be here for them. It wasn’t our decision to change the enrollment process, but we are happy to serve our Josephine County residents directly,” said Doug Stewart, Mercy Flights’ CEO. “We have always valued our partnership with AMR and we stand ready to offer joint membership again in the future should they decide to work with us.”
As Oregon’s only nonprofit air ambulance transport company, Mercy Flights is proud to celebrate its 70th Anniversary this year. Founded as a non-profit organization in 1949 by George Milligan, Mercy Flights, Inc. was the first civil air ambulance in the U.S. Milligan, an air traffic controller and pilot in Medford, established Mercy Flights after a friend of his died of polio in Southern Oregon, unable to survive the long, slow ground transport to Portland. More than 70 years later, Mercy Flights continues to meet the needs of the community by providing critical care fixed wing, rotor wing and ground ambulance services to the people of Southern Oregon and Northern California. As Mercy Flights has expanded over the years, its membership program has grown to include more than 19,000 households, several of whom have been members since Mercy Flights’ inception. To date, Mercy Flights has flown more than 20,000 patients and continues to provide this vital service to the community.
