Edgewood Enlists PHI Air Medical to Bypass I-40 Delays and Safeguard Residents

EDGEWOOD, N.M. — Every household within the Town of Edgewood will soon have out-of-pocket air ambulance expenses covered under a new municipal agreement approved by the town commission.

Edgewood Town Manager Kelly Hamilton recently finalized a contract with PHI Air Medical, enrolling approximately 1,700 town households in the provider’s municipal membership program at an annual cost of $19,360 — or roughly $11 per household.

Under the agreement, the municipal coverage acts as a supplemental safety net for residents. If an insured resident requires critical aeromedical transport, PHI bills the patient’s primary insurer and writes off any remaining balance, eliminating surprise deductible or copay bills that often run into thousands of dollars. Federal regulations exclude Medicaid recipients from air ambulance membership programs.

“Anything insurance doesn’t cover, this covers,” Hamilton said. “We’re really fortunate to have them in our community, and the town commission felt it was so important that we provide that service to every resident of Edgewood.”

Hamilton noted that local officials are already examining whether the program could eventually be expanded to cover the broader 87015 ZIP code area, which extends beyond town municipal limits into unincorporated parts of the East Mountains.

The partnership also addresses rural transport vulnerabilities along the Interstate 40 corridor. When severe weather or highway crashes shut down I-40 or bottleneck traffic along historic Route 66, ground ambulances can face lengthy delays reaching trauma centers in Albuquerque.

PHI’s helicopters can cross the Sandia Mountains and land in Edgewood within 12 to 15 minutes, Hamilton said.

“Our police department and first responders will be trained with an app,” Hamilton said. “If our police officers are first on the scene and see someone in critical condition, they just punch a button and it automatically dispatches the helicopter.”

In addition to direct app dispatching, PHI personnel will provide specialized training for Edgewood police officers and Santa Fe County Fire and EMS personnel, covering landing zone protocols and emergency handoffs.

Hamilton emphasized that the aeromedical partnership is intended strictly to supplement, rather than replace, local emergency medical and fire services provided by Santa Fe County.

“It is in no way to replace the good service Santa Fe County provides us,” Hamilton said. “Our demographics in Edgewood lean toward an older, retirement age, which has a greater need for medical services and potential emergency transport. These helicopters are basically flying critical care units — they carry blood products and advanced equipment.”

Originally founded in 1949 as Petroleum Helicopters Inc. with just three Bell 47 helicopters supporting Gulf of Mexico offshore oil rigs, PHI evolved into one of the world’s commercial aviation pioneers. Decades later, the company adapted its rugged offshore flight operations into civilian aeromedical evacuation, launching PHI Air Medical. Today, the operator maintains bases across the country, flying yellow-and-black emergency medical helicopters staffed by critical-care flight nurses and paramedics.

Town officials are working to coordinate an introductory public appearance with one of the PHI flight crews at an upcoming community event to introduce the service to local residents.