The Jackson County Hospital District approved a new emergency air medical transportation membership agreement with PHI Cares. The agreement will provide air medical transport benefits for all residents of Jackson County when they are transported by a PHI Air Medical aircraft in the region. The new agreement began April 1st, 2022.

Lance Smiga, CEO of the Jackson County Hospital District, stated, "This is a much-needed program which serves as an extension of advanced healthcare for patients in our rural area. Often, response time to and from a medical facility determines the outcome of a patient's health. This program ensures that every resident of Jackson County is covered for air medical transport flights by PHI Air Medical."

The PHI Air Medical membership program, called PHI Cares, supports all the households and residents of Jackson County, Texas. With the launch of this agreement, Jackson County residents will not be required to pay any additional out-of-pocket expense for their emergency air medical transportation when a PHI Air Medical aircraft in the region transports them from Jackson County or a surrounding county, including Matagorda, Wharton, Colorado, Lavaca, Victoria and Calhoun counties.

Residents should always call 911 first when they have a medical emergency. The 911 dispatchers are well trained at assessing the medical needs of each caller and will determine if a ground or air ambulance is necessary. If a resident is transported by a PHI Air Medical Aircraft, they should notify the PHI Cares membership department at 1.888.I.Fly.PHI (1.888.435.9744) and provide them with the Jackson County PHI Cares membership number and their date of transport.

PHI Air Medical will be providing Jackson County with special membership cards that include the PHI Cares membership number. Residents can obtain their PHI Cares membership cards from the following location after April 25th, 2022: Daily 9AM- 9 PM

Jackson County Hospital Wellness Center
1013 South Wells Street
Edna, Texas 77957

Jackson County residents can upgrade their limited county membership benefit coverage to include nationwide PHI Cares coverage by logging into www.PHICares.com, filling out the online enrollment form, and using the discount code, JACKSONUPGRADE, to obtain your special upgrade price of $45.00, an annual fee.

Residents may also email the PHI Cares Membership Department at membership@PHIAirMedical.com or call 1.888.435.9744 Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm MST to obtain an upgrade form. Please reference the "Jackson County" Membership program when calling or writing to them.

Residents can visit the PHI company website at www.PHIAirMedical.com to learn more about the company and www.PHICares.com to learn more about their membership program.

PHI Cares Community Program Highlights:
No out of pocket costs, co-pays, or deductibles for PHI Air Medical transports
No financial limit to the cost of air medical transports
Membership includes immediate family and up to 3 non-family members at the same address
Covers both scene calls and inter-facility transfers originating from Jackson County or a surrounding county, including Matagorda, Wharton, Colorado, Lavaca, Victoria and Calhoun counties.
Option to upgrade to nationwide household benefit coverage for only $45 per year. Visit www.PHICares.com and use coupon code "JACKSONUPGRADE."
Membership cards may be picked up after April 25th, 2022 From 9 AM- 9 PM daily at

Jackson County Hospital Wellness Center
1013 South Wells Street
Edna, TX 77957