Governor Josh Green, M.D.

HONOLULU, HI – Gov. Josh Green, M.D. and Director of Health Elizabeth “Libby” A. Char, M.D. have issued the following statement in response to the missing Hawai‘i Life Flight aircraft: 

“An Emergency Proclamation was issued this morning in response to the Hawai‘i Life Flight air medical aircraft that went missing off the coast of Maui while enroute to pick up a patient located on Hawai‘i island. Hawai‘i’s medical airlift capacity must be supplemented. The Emergency Proclamation gives our state the ability to supplement Hawai‘i’s medical airlift capacity with aircraft and flight crews from other states and permits out-of-state actively licensed and certified emergency medical personnel to be employed as certified flight paramedics and registered nurses on medical transport aircrafts.” 

Gov. Green and his administration are coordinating efforts between Hawai‘i Life Flight, the State Department of Health, the Army National Guard, all county Mayors, the Coast Guard, and medical facilities and personnel throughout the state and on the mainland, to ensure continuity and uninterrupted emergency transport services between the islands. The primary focus is augmenting services to the neighbor islands and deploying extra capacity for critical care needs. 

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Media Contact: 

Makana McClellan
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 808-265-0083