VALDOSTA – South Georgia Medical Center has announced the signing of a preferred provider agreement with Global Medical Response, a leading provider of emergency medical services.
The strategic partnership aims to “enhance the quality of care and improve patient outcomes by streamlining the process of transferring critically ill or injured patients via helicopter,” hospital representatives said in a statement.
As a designated Level III Trauma Center, SGMC is equipped with advanced medical resources, a skilled trauma team and specialized training to handle a wide range of traumatic injuries, hospital representatives said, adding the partnership will further enhance SGMC’s trauma care capabilities, enabling swift response times when patients must be transported to another facility.
Through the agreement, SGMC will notify GMR when a patient needs urgent medical transport.
As the preferred provider, they will be granted the first right of refusal saving critical time in an emergency.
In the rare instance that GMR is unavailable due to prior engagements, they will actively collaborate with SGMC to arrange the transport through another reputable flight service.
“Global Medical Response is thrilled to continue and strengthen our partnership with SGMC through this agreement,” said Greg Dampier, program director for Air Evac Lifeteam. “We have worked closely with SGMC in the past by providing continuing education for the first responders and staff, and now we are honored to be able to serve Lowndes County and the surrounding communities by providing expedited air medical transportation and high-quality, pre-hospital care.”
Randy Smith, chief nursing officer, said the alliance goes hand-in-hand with SGMC’s commitment to providing extraordinary care and prompt medical interventions to the communities served by SGMC.
“By combining our expertise as a Level III Trauma Center with GMR’s proficiency in medical transportation, we are confident that this collaboration will result in even better patient outcomes during critical moments,” he said.
As a part of the agreement, SGMC will have access to GMR’s comprehensive educational resources, including valuable training on a variety of health care-related topics.
To learn more, visit sgmc.org.