Murphys, CA….On Saturday, March 11, 2017, the 8th Annual Mark Twain Health Fair filled the music room Ironstone Vineyards. It featured 20 community health related organizations and PHI Air Med flew in for the occasion! The flight medic, pilot, and flight nurse were available to answer questions about PHI, and a PHI booth was present at the fair to allow people to register with their service. The free health fair offered low-cost medical tests as well as free information on topics such as senior health services, health insurance, nutrition, and fitness. Medical services available included blood analysis and bone density screenings. The five-panel blood analysis consisted of a chemistry panel, thyroid, complete blood count, lipid panel, iron for women, and PSA for men. The test now includes screening for vitamin D deficiencies.

Services such as PHI eliminate a rural penalty for living in our area. “Not only is the transport faster than going by ground, sometimes cutting transport times by 1-3 hours down to minutes, but the level of expertise our flight crews provide is second to none,” stated Jennifer Holly, Air Medical Base Supervisor at PHI Air Medical in Columbia. “We work hand in hand with first responders – EMS, fire and law enforcement, community leaders, hospital personnel and dispatch professionals to ensure that patients are transported to the right hospital for the right care by the right physician.”

“PHI Med 4-2, located at the Columbia Airport, is truly a ‘local’ crew, with the majority of our staff living in Tuolumne County. Med 4-2 takes pride in supporting our local communities, not only with medical transports, but in events that benefit the community.”

The helicopter landing was coordinated by Steve Woodruff, Ironstone’s head of security. Helicopter medical transport played an especially crucial role in Woodruff’s life as it helped save his daughter’s life eighteen years ago, after she was involved in a head-on collision and was transported to a hospital via helicopter. Steve hopes that PHI’s presence at the health fair helped spread awareness of the life-saving services they offer.

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About Mark Twain Medical Center
Founded in 1951, Mark Twain Medical Center is a 25-bed, critical-access hospital providing inpatient acute
care, outpatient services and emergency services. The Medical Center’s Medical Staff represents a broad
range of specialties that ensure access to high quality medical care in a rural community. In addition to being
a major provider of health services, Mark Twain Medical Center is also a major source of jobs for area
residents. On average, more than 300 people are employed at the hospital and its five Family Medical Centers.
The Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, the fifth largest not-for-profit healthcare system in the
nation. For more information, please visit our website at www.marktwainmedicalcenter.org. Mark Twain
Medical Center is also on Facebook.