Augusta University Health is adding a new asset to help provide health care when and where it is needed.
At a kickoff event on Tuesday, June 22, AU President Dr. Brooks Keel stood in front of AirCare, a helicopter that can provide rapid transportation for adult and pediatric patients.
“AirCare demonstrates our commitment to provide quality care, not only to the city of Augusta and Richmond County, but also to our region,” he said.
MORE: AU Health Launches AirCare Partnership
The helicopter will be used to transport patients from emergency scenes and will increase access to patients in rural areas.
AU Health CEO Katrina Keefer said, “As most of us know, during a stroke or a heart attack, every second counts. This rapid transport program shortens the amount of time it takes for patients within a 350-mile radius to receive life-saving care on arrival and especially during transport.”
Keefer said AirCare will also improve access to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia’s level two pediatric trauma center and level four neonatal intensive care unit.
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The Airbus Helicopter EC145E has a range of 350 miles, so it can cover all of Georgia and South Carolina. It is one of the fastest transport helicopters in Georgia with a cruising speed of 150 miles per hour. It will be flown by pilots with Metro Aviation and will carry AU Health medical staff.
There will be one modification to the helicopter. Keefer said there will be a new flight tail that will honor the memory of an August 1993 medical helicopter crash in bad weather near Bush Field. The crash claimed the life of the pilot, two medical personnel and a one-day old infant being transported from Adel, Georgia for treatment at the Medical College of Georgia. The new tail number will be N893AU.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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