The Mattoon Air Evac Lifeteam base is making plans to build a helipad, aircraft hangar and living quarters near the Sarah Bush Lincoln Emergency Department to create greater time and cost savings.
The new facility will reduce the time it takes to have a helicopter available for a patient transfer.
Construction is expected to begin in November.
Sarah Bush Lincoln Vice President of Medical Affairs Jim Hildebrandt, DO, said moving the home base of the helicopter to just outside the SBL emergency department is really about patient safety.
“When our patients need to be transferred to tertiary care facilities, it is because they are very ill or terribly injured and that’s when seconds really count. By having the helicopter just outside our doors, we can save precious minutes, and that’s time patients cannot afford to lose.”
Sarah Bush Lincoln will retain its current helipad so it can accommodate two helicopters if necessary.