Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA)

Mission Health has been providing critical care air transport through Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) since 1986. With two helicopters available 24 hours a day from bases in Asheville and Franklin, MAMA provides air medical services to 18 western North Carolina counties, eastern Tennessee, northeast Georgia and northern South Carolina. From premature infants in respiratory distress to serious traumatic injuries, MAMA's nurses, paramedics and respiratory therapists are trained to provide quality care in transport under medical direction from Mission Hospital.

• Covers 10,000 square miles in 2-3 flights a day
• Performs about 90 flights per month
• Has transported more than 21,000 patients (and counting)
• Was the first civilian EMS helicopter service in the U.S. to use night vision goggles

Many of the new communities and developments in the mountains are isolated and remote. The MAMA team is available to visit your area, to learn where you live, identify appropriate landing sites for the helicopters within your community, and then use a GPS system to locate your area in the future and be better prepared to respond and assist in the event of an emergency.

MAMA is licensed by the North Carolina Office of Emergency Services (NCOEMS) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The MAMA pilots and mechanics are employees of Metro Aviation, a company specializing in safe and high-quality traditional aircraft services. Metro Aviation is based in Louisiana.

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 requires Air Ambulance Providers to include the hotline telephone number (202-366-2220), website address, and contact information (Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, US Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20590) for the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Aviation Consumer Advocate on its website.

For additional questions, please email mama@hcahealthcare.com