The Hawaii Department of Health has awarded a contract for emergency aeromedical ambulance transport services for Maui County to REACH Air Medical Services.

The nearly $10 million contract begins Jan. 1, 2025 and lasts through Dec. 31, 2028.

“The emergency air ambulance transport services are primarily for transportation within Maui County,” said DOH in a news release. “The services may also be used for inter-county transportation when medically necessary and commercial air ambulance services are unavailable.”

DOH’s Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch selected REACH after a competitive procurement process.

Should funding become available, DOH said the contract can be modified to expand the services to other counties.

Starting Jan. 1, DOH said the contract would offer the following enhancements:

>> Increased helicopter capabilities with the ability to support specialty patients such as bariatric, obstetric and pediatric cases.

>> Bolstered staffing to include a critical care flight nurse and flight paramedic for each mission, supporting patient care and safety during aeromedical transport.

>> A 24-hour fuel supply to ensure the aircraft is mission-ready.

>> A dedicated backup helicopter to maximize the in-service rate.

>> Clearly defined launch time standards to support timely response.

REACH and American Medical Response are both part of Global Medical Response Inc. headquartered in Colorado.