This is a response to Maryanne Kusaka’s May 30 Guest Viewpoint entitled “Kauai Needs Air Ambulance Service.” In her article, Ms. Kusaka seeks to create doubt and fear in the hearts and minds of Kaua‘i residents about the aeromedical services
This is a response to Maryanne Kusaka’s May 30 Guest Viewpoint entitled “Kauai Needs Air Ambulance Service.” In her article, Ms. Kusaka seeks to create doubt and fear in the hearts and minds of Kaua‘i residents about the aeromedical services available to them. She does so, however, through false and misleading information about Hawaii Air Ambulance (HAA), which we believe may constitute an action for defamation.
Ms. Kusaka’s misleads readers and tarnishes HAA’s nationally recognized achievements by stating that air ambulance transports can take as long as twelve to fourteen hours, and that HAA planes are old and in need of increasingly frequent repair.
Let me set the record straight. In 2003, HAA’s average wait for an interisland patient transfer was 2 hours and 31 minutes. This is far below the Hawai‘i Department of Health’s required 4 hour transfer period, and way below the fourteen hour wait period Ms. Kusaka opines.
With an aeromedical crew staffed 24/7, servicing ten air fields statewide, HAA’s five medically-equipped Cessna 414As have transported over 30,000 critically ill patients during the past 25 years.
Our quality of service is impeccable. HAA is recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) as having achieved the highest level of accreditation and standards in the aeromedical industry. HAA is one of 100 out of over 400 aeromedical companies nationally to have received such recognition. All of our aircraft go through intense CAMTS inspection and certification, which also meet all Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
In her article, Ms. Kusaka insensitively uses the tragic HAA crash on the Big Island as another means to discredit our airline. In January, HAA suffered its first plane crash in 25 years, having accomplished over 30,000 successful aeromedical missions.
Despite this unfortunate and unbearable loss HAA pilots and medical personnel continued flight operations without interruption. A replacement aircraft has already been contracted for purchase, and will be in service within the next six to eight weeks. In a recent statewide video teleconference, a full report by HAA was provided to neighbor island hospital administrators and physicians. There was unanimous consent by all participating hospital representatives that HAA has made significant and satisfactory progress in recovering from the plane crash, and that upon arrival of HAA’s replacement plane, fixed-wing air ambulance service will be back to full capacity.
As Ms. Kusaka nicely does, it is easy to point fingers at HAA for a systemwide problem that goes way beyond air ambulance transport services. The provision of critical, specialty and tertiary care on the neighbor islands is a complex issue which includes hospital, specialty care providers as well as ground and air ambulance services. Furthermore, Ms. Kusaka takes the age-old solution of going to the “public trough” once again, asking the Hawai‘i State Legislature for air ambulance funding.
Let it be known that HAA, in its 25 years of proud service to Hawai‘i, has received no state or county subsidies. Our company has an impeccable record of service to the people of Kaua‘i, which is now being tarnished by the misinformed and irresponsible statements of Ms. Kusaka.
Andrew Kluger is the chairman of the board of Hawaii Air Ambulance in Honolulu
