Stronger before the storm.
Last week, I shared a reflection about partnership through the lens of a care partner. Today, I want to focus on another dimension of partnership that matters just as much: preparation.
Health First is home to Brevard County’s only Level II Trauma Center. We operate First Flight, now with two aircraft serving our region. Every day, our teams stabilize, treat, and heal. We are built for definitive care. Operator Solutions operates in environments where hospitals cannot, including maritime settings, aerospace recovery operations, and other high-risk rescue scenarios. They are built to respond and extract in complex conditions.
When those capabilities are connected before an emergency occurs, the entire system becomes stronger. Field expertise and hospital expertise function as one coordinated effort rather than two separate responses.
The most vulnerable moments for critically injured patients often happen during transitions from field to flight, or flight to trauma bay. This partnership creates a framework for joint training, coordinated disaster simulations, aerospace and maritime integration, and skill sustainment. Training together strengthens those handoffs.
I also want to recognize Dr. Victor Vargas, Chief Medical Officer for Health First’s Hospital Division, who has been integral in building this partnership. He shared, “As a retired Air Force medical officer who continues to serve in civilian healthcare leadership, this partnership is especially meaningful to me. The Air Force Rescue motto — That Others May Live — aligns seamlessly with Health First’s mission to improve the health and wellness of the communities we serve.” Dr. Vargas’s experience in both hospital-based trauma care and operational rescue environments ensures this partnership is grounded in clinical excellence, accountability, and patient safety.
At Health First, our vision is clear: together, we will make Health First the best place to receive and provide care. Preparation is part of that promise. When our teams train together, when we invest in alignment, when we strengthen the system before it is tested, we shape what care should feel like in the most critical moments. Calm. Coordinated. Compassionate. Excellent.
This partnership strengthens our regional emergency response ecosystem by design. But more importantly, it reflects our commitment to the people who depend on us.
Terry Forde
President & CEO, Health First
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