(Richmond)- A pilot shortage is impacting Virginia State Police. Officials say they have temporarily cut back on using its Med-Flight helicopter by eight hours a day in central and southwest regions of the state. The flight service usually runs 24-hours, but until the police department hires and trains more pilots it will only operate from eight in the morning until midnight. Air ambulance services with VCU Health Systems and HCA Hospitals will be used to fill in the gaps. Unlike Med-Flight, patients will need to use their healthcare insurance to pay for emergency transportation.
