REACT - Rockford Health System

Our Role as the Lead Hospital in a Disaster

Rockford Memorial Hospital is designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health as the Disaster POD hospital for the northern Illinois EMS region. In that role, the hospital, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center, serves as the designated resource hospital for regional disaster planning and response; maintains an established disaster plan; provides staff members trained in various emergency response services; maintains an established two-way communication system to participating and associate hospitals and coordinates regional disaster drills.

In addition to these responsibilities, Rockford Memorial Hospital also serves as the primary point of contact for communication and coordination of disaster response activities with its resource, associate and participating hospitals and EMS providers.

REACT - Regional Emergency Acute Care Transport

REACT uses a medical helicopter and a critical care ground transport service to transfer critically ill or injured individuals, including trauma patients, cardiac patients, orthopedic patients, pediatric patients, and high-risk mothers and infants.

The specially-equipped Bell BK-117 helicopter transports patients from regional hospitals or trauma sites in a 14-county region in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. REACT is staffed with critical care-trained flight nurses who have extensive training in all aspects of trauma and critical patient care. The helicopter is fully equipped with the latest in medical equipment and technology and functions as an airborne emergency room. REACT transports over 800 patients annually by helicopter and another 130 patients by ground transportation.

REACT is the only air medical and critical care ground program in the region accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS). REACT first earned this accreditation in 1994 and earned renewal in 1997, 2001, 2004 and most recently in 2007. REACT was the 13th program in the United States to earn this accreditation.

This international accreditation process, developed exclusively by and for air medical and critical care ground services, focuses on quality of patient care and safety of the transport environment. Accreditation is only earned following an in-depth site survey by CAMTS representatives.