The American Heart Association Hampton Roads recently honored the Sentara Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance program with its 2023 R. Bryan Grinnan, M.D. Memorial Research Award.
The award was presented at the annual Heart Ball event in Norfolk. The event recognizes survivors and volunteers who contribute to the heart association’s mission.
Founded in 1991, the Grinnan award is named for the founder and president of the American Heart Association Hampton Roads board and honors those who make the community a better place through their investment of time and/or a financial contribution in support of heart and brain health.
Of Nightingale’s record 862 patient flights last year, 310 patients were having cardiac events and 162 had neurological events, including strokes, Sentara Health said in a news release.
Nightingale Manager and flight nurse Denise Baylous shared her thoughts on what the award means to her team.
“Working with our Sentara physician partners and our cardiac and stroke service lines, our team has developed clinical protocols that allow us to provide advanced treatments and rapid transport, saving precious time in getting our patients to cardiac and neurological interventions,” she said.
The team’s average transport time for cardiac patients is 30 minutes and stroke patients 12 minutes, the release said.
The Nightingale crew can provide advanced treatments and notify the hospital teams ahead of arrival at the hospital.
“Streamlining care saves cardiac muscle and millions of brain cells, thus improving the patient’s outcome and quality of life,” Baylous said.
The Nightingale air ambulance provides rapid transport of critically ill and injured patients in Hampton Roads, the Virginia Eastern Shore and northeastern North Carolina.
Since its inception in 1982, Nightingale has flown more than 25,000 patients. The team consists of flight nurses, flight paramedics, pilots, dispatchers, mechanics, and a medical director. Nightingale is owned by Sentara Health and operated by Metro Aviation.
