Avera Careflight has been named Programme of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), a US trade association that represents and advocates on behalf of air medical teams.

“Receiving an honour of this stature shows just how much Avera Careflight staff dedicate themselves to excellence in patient care,” says director of clinical operations Anna Vanden Bosch RN, MSN, CFRN. “We're very proud of our team.”

Avera's Careflight service has base locations in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Pierre in South Dakota and serves a five state region, from where it operates a fleet of one H145 and two EC145 helicopters, a King Air 200 and two Pilatus PC-12s.

AAMS presents this award each year to 'an emergency medical transport service (national or international) that has demonstrated a superior level of patient care, management prowess, high quality leadership through visionary and innovative approaches, customer service, safety consciousness, marketing ingenuity, community service and a commitment to the medical transport community as a whole'.

Assistant vice president of emergency services Lee Bollock said the Programme of the Year award is testament to hard work and a team that always strives to continuously improve: “Our entire team shares in this recognition for the daily if not hourly work that is done, from the newest team member to the most senior. Considering the international air medical teams that have garnered it in the past, we are humbled to receive it."

Avera Careflight leaders will accept the award in October at the AAMS annual conference in Tampa, Florida.