Local Hospitals Add Air Transport To Services

Private local hospitals are taking big steps to get patients to their facilities faster.

With Sierra Providence Health Network (SPHN) starting a medical flight program and Del Sol opening a massive helipad, emergency air transport in the area is undergoing a big change.

Patients located 150 miles from El Paso in New Mexico and Texas will soon be taken to SPHN hospitals or other hospitals, if necessary, in an American Eurocopter BK-17.

The helicopter, which is part of Sierra Providence’s Med Flight Air Medical Transport Program, will pick up patients from other hospitals who need to be taken to one of their facilities or another hospital for specialty care or from the scene of emergencies.

In the case of an emergency, a first responder, such as a firefighter will decide, based on the severity of a patient’s injuries and the distance from a hospital whether the patient should be taken to the hospital via helicopter or regular ambulance.

Sierra Providence will be staffed with a pilot, a flight nurse and paramedic 24 hours a day and they’ll also have their own mechanic to maintain the chopper.

The “flying intensive care unit,” as Sierra officials call it, will also transport infants who need critical care.

“In many cases, (we will go) to some of the rural hospitals, and be able to deliver neonate teams for very small, premature babies, high risk maternal transport, and care for heart attacks, strokes”, said Marvin McLellan, Sierra Providence Associate Administrator.

Del Sol Medical Center in East El Paso will open the largest helipad in the city on Tuesday.

“Often times, in disasters or emergencies, military resources, national guard, are called upon to transport patients and help mitigate those disasters. This helipad could easily hold two of those large black hawks”, said Rob Campion, Del Sol’s Medical Flight Program Director.

The helipad will also allow Del Sol to fly in patients from rural hospitals and emergencies.