BROOKHAVEN — Air Medical Evacuation Service companies continue to present sales pitches at Lincoln County Board of Supervisors meetings to provide a membership program for County residents. The courting display has continued for the last eight months. 

AirMedCare, Air Evac Lifeteam and PHI Air Medical have all come to the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors presenting a similar sales pitch, the County pays a grand fee and then residents are offered a discounted membership rate. 

PHI came and spoke to the board Monday while AirMedCarevisited in April. 

Supervisors have been in agreement that the service would be great for residents. They also have had hangups on a few questions. Supervisors want to know if the City would be willing to chip in on the service. The board wants to know if the hospital would partner and if there was any way to guarantee patients in Lincoln County would in fact be picked up by the service provider. 

“Every company that comes in it is covered unless another service provider picks someone up. I know you stay busy,” John David Hart, District 3 Supervisor, said. “If we plan on spending this money then our residents plan to get this service.” 

Hart serves as the Chief of Hog Chain Volunteer Fire Department and has experience working in dispatch. PHI stated they could always add a helicopter to the fleet if the need is there. Hart said he understands what emergency response is like and even if a hospital has 51 ambulances they will always need one more. 

Part of the medical service providers sales pitch is health insurance providers will pay up to $10,000 of the $50,000 bill for a helicopter flight. Rhonda Clifton with PHI said “You want to have it but never want to use it,” in reference to Air Medical Evacuation. 

Supervisors took the item under advisement and took no further action as they have done over the last eight months.