HIGHPRIORITY Even as it looks to save money with health care reforms, Finland has maintained a strong investment in high-quality air ambulance services. 38 VERTICAL 911 magazine BY JON DUKE | PHOTOS BY LLOYD HORGAN, VORTEX AEROMEDIA It is unusual to find the subject of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) at the center of national policy. However, such is the reputation of FinnHEMS, Finland’s state-funded HEMS operator, that the current government has made continued support for the organiza- tion a priority in the country’s ongoing social and health care reforms. Finland has a widely dispersed population of 5.5 million — just over half the population of New York City — but more than a quarter of Finns live within the capital city of Helsinki or the greater metropolitan area. Thus it was from here that the nation’s first air ambulance oper- ations began in 1992. With a clear need for national HEMS infrastructure, other operations soon appeared and adopted a charitable model that, while able to maintain a capability, was reliant on donations and grants that were highly variable and, in some cases, open to misuse. By 2011, Finland was ready for change and new legislation offered the opportunity to ratio- nalize HEMS operations, improve oversight, and stabilize the balance books with funding from the country’s purse.