Medical helicopter service has long been a major missing piece in our medical infrastructure. Now that gap is being filled. Just like the state s critical care providers had known for years, Governor King recognized that when a person is critically ill or injured, time is more vital than geographic distance. Today, more than two years later, the LifeFlight program has been fully integrated into the statewide emergency response system, and has proven itself a pivotal link between Maine and New England s extensive network of tertiary and trauma care centers.
Maine is a vastly rural state.
In fact, we are ranked as the fourth most rural state in the nation. Our 33,000 square mile topography is covered by far reaching and remote forested lands. Our coastal waters are strewn with more than 500 islands, one-fifth of which are populated. This doesn t even take into account the nearly 10,000 miles of private roads lacing our woodlands. Indeed, from Kittery to Madawaska, Rangeley to Eastport, the 1 million residents and visitors that inhabit the state of Maine are scattered far and wide.