Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Airiel’s flight
ACH Angel One assists premature infant in her fight for life
There are certain situations where circumstances dictate
that someone needs medical attention quicker than they can be taken by an ambulance or other motor vehicle. Synetra Hughes of Fayetteville can speak to this. Her daughter, Airiel, was born in August after only 25 weeks gestation, weighing only one pound and 11 ounces at the time of her birth.
“It was critical for her to get to Arkansas Children’s Hospital as soon as possible to ensure she received the absolute best care and greatest chance for survival,” Hughes said. “The day she was born, it was supposed to rain all day, so she was initially scheduled to be transported via ambulance because of the weather.”
Hughes said God graciously allowed the rain to stop, and Airiel was flown to ACH around 6:30 p.m. that night via an Angel One helicopter.
“Within an hour of taking off, she was safely at ACH with the staff beginning her care,” Hughes said. “We are so grateful and thankful for the team that planned, oversaw and implemented her transport.”
When situations like Airiel’s occur, Arkansas Children’s Hospital has a plan and a way to execute transportation quickly and safely thanks to Angel One, a national award-winning medical transport program.
Broader reach, faster service
The Angel One program covers the entire state of Arkansas and its surrounding states. This covers a radius of approximately 200 miles around Little Rock. On average, it transports five patients a day with an average patient transport time of five hours and can reach any part of the state within one hour of departure from the hospital. It performs more than 2,100 total patient transports per year, with 1,200 by helicopter.
Operations began in 1978 as Arkansas Newborn Transport Service (ANTS), operating with one ambulance. A fixed-wing aircraft
She might not be here today if it wasn’t for the Angel One team.
was leased from Central Flying Service in 1982 to accommodate longer distances. In 1985, helicopter operations were begun under the new name of Angel One, utilizing a Bell206-L-1 helicopter. This was upgraded to a light, twin engine helicopter, a Eurocopter BO-105 in 1987.
In 1992, a heavy twin engine Sikorsky S-76-A helicopter was added to the fleet. In 1999, ACH purchased a used Sikorsky S-76 A to replace the original Sikorsky helicopter.
Both helicopters were replaced in 2015, and in recent years, four more ground units have been brought to the fleet, bringing that to a total of six plus the availability of fixed-wing aircraft.
The fleet offers a broader range of coverage and a faster way to get the most critical children to ACH while under constant medical care. Airiel’s case is one of many that illustrates this.
Things might’ve gone very differently if the rain had not let up and she hadn’t been able to utilize the helicopter, according to Hughes.
“She might not be here today if it wasn’t for the Angel One team,” Hughes said. “We were looking at a three-hour drive versus a 45-minute flight. She would have been well cared for on the ambulance ride, but for her to start receiving neonatal care so soon by flying to ACH was the best-case scenario. We were able to go home and prepare to be by her side within 24 hours and that was so very helpful to us.”
Despite the knowledge that she was in caring hands, it was hard for Hughes and her husband to be absent from Airiel so soon after her birth.
“It is quite difficult to watch your child be taken away from you just hours after delivery,” Hughes said. “But it’s the best chance they’ll have for health and survival. At ACH, babies can continue to grow and develop until it’s time to return home. We just prayed for clear, safe travel for Airiel and the team and left it in God’s hands.”
Airiel has continued to grow and gain weight since she has been at ACH, which included the doctors performing surgery on Sept. 2 to repair a heart murmur.
“She recovered well from that surgery. She is a natural fighter and she is doing very well to have arrived so early,” Hughes said. “We are forever grateful to the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other ACH staff that have helped her grow and get stronger.”
One of Airiel’s biggest supporters is her uncle, Kevin Richardson, who happens to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He is a sophomore defensive back from Jacksonville.
“Kevin wears 8/22 on his game day wrist tape for Airiel’s birthday,” Hughes said. “It’s pretty cool when you add the two numbers together, as 8 plus 22 equals 30, which is her uncle Kevin’s number.”
Current plans for the ACH campus in Springdale include a helipad for the Angel One helicopters, so no critically ill or injured child in Northwest Arkansas is ever more than 55 minutes away from life-saving care.