St. Charles cuts ties with 40-year-old air link transport program it founded in Bend
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After 40 years and deep roots in Bend, a homegrown medical transport program founded by St. Charles is losing its longtime partnership with the very health system that created it, marking a significant shift in how patients will be moved across Central Oregon.
A New Partner for Patient Transport
After months of evaluation, St. Charles has selected Life Flight Network as its preferred provider for patient air and ground transport. Its previous provider for more than 40 years was Air Link Critical Care Transport, which is based in Bend.
Hospital leaders say the decision came after a formal request-for-proposals process aimed at improving consistency and coordination. The partnership focuses specifically on interfacility transport, moving patients between St. Charles locations or to care centers outside the region.
It does not affect transport from a crash site to a hospital
“This service will help ensure consistent, reliable and cohesive transport services for our patients and community into the future,” the health system said in a statement.
The transition to Life Flight Network will roll out over the coming months.
What This Means—and What It Doesn’t
St. Charles is emphasizing what this change does not impact.
911 emergency response will stay the same. Local fire and EMS agencies will continue handling ground ambulance calls, and emergency air transport will still depend on availability, location, and existing response protocols.
In other words, if you call 911, the system you rely on today isn’t changing.
Hospital leaders also stressed their continued commitment to working alongside regional EMS and public safety partners.
AirLink Responds to the Decision
The move marks a significant change for AirLink Critical Care Transport, which has deep roots in Central Oregon.
Founded by St. Charles 40 years ago, the program—formerly known as AirLife of Oregon—has long been a fixture in Bend and across the region. AirLink says its crews live and work locally, and the service has grown into a major provider with more than 100,000 AirMedCare Network members statewide, including 26,000 in the tri-county area.
AirLink leaders say they were recently notified they would not continue as the contracted partner.
“Our commitment to this community runs deep—this is our home,” the organization said in a statement.
Despite the change, AirLink says it is not going anywhere.
Commitment to Stay
AirLink says it plans to remain active in the region while continuing conversations with St. Charles about next steps.
The organization pointed to its long-standing partnerships with hospitals, first responders, and local agencies, along with its work alongside aviation partner Metro Aviation.
The statement said, “We remain focused on what has always guided us: serving this community with excellence and integrity, with safety as our guiding principle above all else.”
