HCA Florida and Air Methods team up for air ambulance service in North Central Florida starting its 24/7 response early Thursday morning, officials announced at a Wednesday press conference.
Transporting patients into HCA Florida facilities in Gainesville and Ocala, the helicopter will be based out of Chiefland and bring the biggest benefit to rural Tri-County residents.
HCA Florida North Florida Hospital receives around 3,300 ambulance trips from Gilchrist, Levy and Dixie counties. Those trips can take 46 minutes or longer, hospital staff said.
Officials said the air service will significantly reduce travel time for trauma patients in rural areas while also freeing up transport time for EMS in those counties. Plus, the helicopters contain equipment to serve as “flying ICUs” and to give lifesaving care while en route to hospitals.
Mark Amox, COO of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital, said time is of the utmost importance when people have medical emergencies. Every minute without care after a stroke is increased damage to the brain, he reminded attendees.
“The work that we’re doing every day to deliver the best of medical care to our communities is really the purpose of being here,” Amox said.
HCA Florida already contracts with Air Methods. In 2025, the company transported 2,800 critical care patients to 83 Florida-based HCA facilities.
Air Methods owns and operates the helicopters and flight crew, while HCA Florida provides the medical staff.
Brandon Ryan, Air Methods vice president of business development, said the coordination came together quickly and seamlessly for this air service expansion. He said it takes each of the counties working in unison with each other, HCA Florida and Air Methods to work.
Without any one of them, he said the air ambulance might not be feasible for the area. But with contracts in place, Ryan said Air Methods estimates flying a patient every day from the Tri-County area to HCA Florida services.
Whether the helicopter heads to Ocala or Gainesville will depend on each patient’s needs and location, Ryan said.
He added that people will see the helicopter overhead. but not the hours of training to be ready for the moment. He said Air Methods provided more than 100,000 transports across the country in 2025 and is proud to partner with HCA to service the Tri-County area.
“It’s an honor; it’s an obligation that we take very seriously in terms of partnering not just with HCA but also with the local communities here,” Ryan said.
Ryan said he can count on one hand the number of times a new air service has started with such coordination between partners, calling it “absolutely admirable.”
Chiefland Mayor Rissa Johns spoke at the launch and said the helicopter represented hope and a stronger safety net for Tri-County communities. She said the air ambulance service is an investment in lives saved, families supported and futures protected.
“Thank you for helping ensure that no matter where someone lives, they have access to the care they deserve,” Johns said.
The helicopter, a Bell 407GX, already made its first transport on Monday with a second on Tuesday.
