Health · Healthcare & Policy · 7 hrs ago
Rural Maine’s rising need for air ambulances puts pressure on crews
LifeFlight of Maine’s crews transport patients by helicopter across the state, including from small hospitals to larger ones with more resources.
The service flew 3,031 times in 2025, and demand for medical flights has doubled since 2015.
This year, demand is up another 10%.
Rural hospital closures are increasing the need for air ambulances, as some hospitals stop offering services such as labor and delivery.
Ground ambulance services are also struggling, and Maine’s emergency response system can leave patients without help; last year, a woman died after a county dispatch center contacted 10 ambulance services and none responded.
Air crews are taking on more patients as these gaps widen.
The pressure is expected to grow as Medicaid cuts take effect, with hundreds more rural hospitals or maternity departments at immediate risk of closing.
Demand for medical flights in Maine has doubled since 2015, putting more pressure on air ambulance crews.
LifeFlight of Maine crews flew 3,031 flights in 2025, and demand is up another 10% this year.
Rural hospital closures and reduced services are leaving patients farther from care and increasing reliance on air ambulances.
Most LifeFlight transports take patients from smaller hospitals to larger, better-resourced ones.
Ground ambulance services are also strained, and the article describes a case in which no ambulance service responded to a woman in northern Maine.
- Who
- LifeFlight of Maine crews, including flight nurse Denise Saucier and paramedic Brian Merklin, are facing increased demand.
- What
- Demand for medical flights in Maine has risen, adding pressure on air ambulance crews.
- When
- Demand has doubled since 2015 and is up another 10% in 2026.
- Where
- Rural Maine, including its islands, forests and mountains.
- Why
- Rural hospitals are closing or reducing services, while ground ambulance services are struggling to meet the need.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Demand for medical flights in Maine has doubled.
LifeFlight crews flew 3,031 flights.
Demand for LifeFlight services is up another 10%.
- Demand growth
- Doubled since 2015
- LifeFlight flights
- 3,031 in 2025
- Further demand increase
- 10% in 2026
- Scene calls
- Less than 10% of LifeFlight transports
- Transport type
- Most are interfacility flights from smaller hospitals to larger ones
What people are saying
We're seeing this across the board. The need for air medical services is increasing year over year.
You go so long of a distance without seeing any houses, any roads,
It really hits home how rural Maine is and how necessary EMS is in the state.