In the air with Coast Life Support District’s ambulance services

A Coast Life Support District ambulance prepares a patient for medical helicopter evacuation while a visiting pilot waits with his plane for the runway to clear so he can depart. See more at http://oceanridgeairport.org/about/history/

We love the rural area with it’s winding coast. The area is clearly defined by geography: the Pacific Ocean to the west and a coastal mountain range to the east. You’ll pass many of Mendonoma’s quaint and picturesque communities clustered along California Highway 1, a two-lane winding and hilly route.

But what happens when your stay is interrupted by an accident or other medical tragedy that requires specialized and immediate treatment?

Coast Life Support 

The Coast Life Support District (CLSD) provides paramedic ambulance response and transport. The CLSD ambulance district was founded by special state legislation, approved by a large majority of district voters, and is supported by fees for services and a per-parcel Sea Ranch benefit assessment.

However, it takes a minimum of two hours along that curvy coastal road from Sea Ranch to reach the nearest hospital in the towns of Santa Rosa or Healdsburg!

If your medical emergency is grave and requires a more immediate response Air (helicopter) ambulance service is available on the coast from REACH and from CalStar, and occasionally from Sonoma County Sheriff’s Henry 1 helicopter.

If helicopter evacuation is required it is not possible to choose which service will be used; whichever service is available at the time will be dispatched.

Friends who have had to use the air ambulance services assure me that they were fast, professional and well equipped to save their loved one’s lives.

The Coast Life Support District is located in the rugged rural coastal areas of northern Sonoma County and southern Mendocino County. 

Santa Rosa-based REACH Air Medical Services Courtesy of REACH Air Medical Services

A CALSTAR medical helicopter waits to board a patient.

Memberships can be purchased for a small annual fee from both REACH and Calstar to cover the cost of transport. If you have  health concern do be sure to ask about their service and fees.

Also be sure to check with your personal medical insurance carrier to determine your policy’s coverage for air ambulance service.

Click HERE to see answers to these Frequently Asked Questions:

Emergency Telephone Contacts 
(Area Code 707 unless otherwise noted)