Patients in need of emergency transport to a HCA hospital now have a new and improved means of travel.
On Nov. 20, Hospital Corporation of America officials unveiled a new Mountain Area Medical Airlift helicopter in Highlands. The new airbus features new controls and more technology, which MAMA supervisor John Grindstaff noted will allow for flights in a wider variety of weather conditions.
“The ability to fly when the weather is less than ideal is a big advantage to this helicopter over the previous one we had,” Grindstaff said. “As far as the technology, it’s like going to a 2020 automobile after years of driving a 1999 model.”
Aside from updated controls and a more-user friendly control panel, the biggest difference in terms of patient care lies in the design of the Airbus helicopter’s design. A wider tail end allows paramedics onboard to have complete patient access.
The new twin-engine, night vision certified, helicopter offers 31 percent more space in the patient care area.
“Any doctor or nurse will tell you that being able to maneuver 360 degrees around the patient is a critical need, and in this helicopter we can do that,” Grindstaff said. “In the old helicopter a member of our medical team could not be at the patient’s feet or lower leg. Now there is more room to move.”
Grindstaff noted that Metro Aviation out of Shreveport, Louisiana, was responsible for retrofitting the helicopter for medical transport as an air ambulance. Once the vehicle was on site in Asheville, the crew had to undergo additional training to learn the new controls.
“The instruments on this aircraft are so much more sophisticated than the previous model, so it took the pilots some getting used to,” Grindstaff said. “The number one reason we got this new aircraft was one word – safety. HCA saw the need and they invested in the safety of not only the flight crew, but also the patients who will use this service in the future.”
Mission Hospital Director of Communications Erin Young noted that the new helicopter becoming operational makes the previous vehicle available to work as a backup in times of maintenance or emergencies.
“We have two helicopters that work in tandem as part of Mountain Area Medical Airlift and that will continue with the addition of the new MAMA unit,” Young said. “The previous helicopter will be maintained and be kept ready for use. That way if the two vehicles in rotation need to be serviced, that vehicle can step in and be ready to go.”
Young noted that the MAMA team — pilots, nurses and paramedics — has a total of 1,071 years of experience. The median for the medical team is 24.7 years and 24.9 years for the pilots.
As part of the new helicopter’s tour of the Western North Carolina mountains, the flight crew took the vehicle on a tour of the hospitals in the Mission Health system as well as some local fire departments and community centers.
“We want everyone to get a feel for this new helicopter and understand its capabilities,” Grindstaff said. “It’s an impressive piece of machinery, but the most important thing to remember is this helicopter will save a lot of lives during its time in service.”