Four decades after launching the innovative air ambulance service known today as Memorial Hermann Life Flight, the health system commemorated the program’s momentous 40th anniversary by expressing its gratitude to the community that has helped make the lifesaving service possible.
The campaign, called “40 Years of Life Flight, 40 Days of Thanks,” kicked off with an official proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, presented by Councilman Jack Christie on the helipad of Life Flight’s home base at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.
“Today is a special day, not just for Life Flight, but for the entire city of Houston, as we reflect back on the pioneering leadership that helped make this program possible and celebrate the many accomplishments that have defined Life Flight’s reputation as a trailblazer among air ambulance services,” said Memorial Hermann-TMC CEO Brian Dean.
Founded on Aug. 1, 1976 as a groundbreaking medical flight program aimed at expediting the transport of critically ill and injured patients across the Greater Houston area, Life Flight was the first air ambulance service in Texas and the second such program in the nation. In the decades since, Life Flight has maintained its premiere status and evolved to keep pace with the changing demands of trauma care.
