Greenville Reporter

On April 16, EastCare, a program of ECU Health, marked 40 years of service in eastern North Carolina. Established in 1985, EastCare has evolved from a single helicopter operation into a full-scale medical transportation service, offering critical air and ground transport to patients.

EastCare moves patients directly from emergency scenes or transfers them from regional hospitals to ECU Health Medical Center, expediting essential care. The program now operates seven helicopters, with five in active service and two on standby, covering the region from eight bases and utilizing 28 ambulances. EastCare's reach includes parts of South Carolina and Virginia.

Trey Labrecque, director of EastCare, commended the staff for their dedication. “The way our clinicians go above and beyond what’s required in their aspects of training has always impressed me. They put their lives in danger every day they come to work to transport patients by air or by ground.” The staff often works beyond their shifts to provide patient care.

Flight nurse Shannon Petty emphasized the team's flexibility, noting their readiness to switch to ambulance transport when needed: “Even when helicopters are down for maintenance and a call comes in, the team will jump in an ambulance and do exactly what they would have done by air. We are one of the very few programs in the country that does that consistently.”

EastCare clinicians are equipped to perform critical interventions for a variety of conditions, including trauma and pediatric cases. The Children’s Transport Team, in partnership with the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital, cares for over 1,700 children annually.

Flight paramedic Joshua Dail shared his experience of responding to emergencies: “We did a standby for a local law enforcement high-profile situation and sat there all day. At the end of the day, a family and their little boy who was unconscious after a traumatic accident arrived at a rural emergency department that is not accustomed to providing the care he needed. We immediately shifted gears and hopped in and took care of this little kid, which involved a lot of resources on our part, and then flew him to the Medical Center, where he had brain surgery and a good outcome."

Chuck Strickland, EastCare's outreach coordinator, highlighted the team’s role in delivering aid during hurricanes: “During hurricanes, access to affected areas is often restricted, making it difficult for physicians and nurses to reach state medical assistant teams. Our teams has flown physicians and nurses to those areas and delivered critical supplies to places experiencing shortages.”

Dail underscored the reliance on teamwork: “None of us can do our job without the other. In the helicopter, we are always looking out for any potential dangers, offering to help with various tasks and supporting each other during every flight. And then at the bedside, we are a clinical team, so we’re collaborating and figuring out how to best care for our patients.”

Over the last decade, EastCare accomplished:

- 4,752,768 ground miles

- 3,558,196 air miles

- 35,292 flights

- Transport from 66 hospitals by air

- Transport from 87 hospitals by ground

These efforts represent numerous lives saved and support for families in dire situations. The 40th anniversary was commemorated with a celebration at ECU Health Medical Center, acknowledging the significant role EastCare continues to play in the local community. As EastCare celebrates four decades, their commitment to providing lifesaving services stands strong.