On The Right Track; Hospital Starts Up Transportation System

November 22, 2011 • Makenzie Penka, Writer  
Filed under News

Fourteen years ago, Saint Catherine Hospital entered a partnership with Eagle Med LLC. Up until this year the partnership only had a fixed wing (airplane) at the airport. With the fixed wing, Garden City was able to take patients out to bigger hospitals, such as Wichita or Denver. Starting this year though, the partnership has expanded and Garden City now has access to a helicopter as well as the fixed wing.

The helicopter is owned and operated by Eagle Med LLC. This allows Saint Catherine to bring patients from desolate towns with smaller hospitals into Garden City. The helicopter also makes it quicker and easier to get to the scene of the accident, wether it be a car accident on the highway or a heart attack out in the country or on a farm.

As long as the helicopter has a landing area that is flat or level, such as a highway or field, and an area 60 feet squared it is able to land. The helicopter can transport the Pilot, one flight nurse, one paramedic, and one patient (who can be no taller than six feet, six inches) at one time.

The helicopter can travel distances up to 90 nautical miles. To the north it can go as far as Colby, Kansas, to the east Larned, Kansas, to the south Guymon, Oklahoma, and to the west Lamar, Colorado.

The helicopter can achieve speeds up to 140 mph, with these speeds patients are more likely yo make it to a hospital in well enough time for proper treatment.

When the helicopter is not in use it is housed at Saint Catherine Hospital just east of the emergency room. Training is still going on for the helicopter but once in use it will be a great tool to help the hospital by using air medical transport to quickly save the lives of patients in need.

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