STARS air ambulance conducts a mock rescue exercise at St. Andrews Airport on Saturday, March 9, 2013. (STAN MILOSEVIC / CHRISD.CA FILE)
A new heliport at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre will greatly reduce the time it takes to transport injured patients by air to receive medical treatment.
The 60-by-60-foot rooftop landing pad will be a first for the city’s downtown. It will be located atop the new Diagnostic Centre of Excellence building and accommodate twin-engine helicopters. The heliport will provide direct elevator access to both adult and children’s emergency rooms and operating theatres.
“The opening of this heliport will allow patients to access care more quickly at a time when it is most critical,” said Helen Clark, chief operating officer of emergency response and patient transportation with the WRHA.
“Taking 25 to 30 minutes off of a patient’s transport time can significantly improve health outcomes for those patients in life-threatening situations.”
STARS air ambulance flew 541 emergency responses in Manitoba last year.
“The new urban heliport will reduce transport times for critical patients by eliminating ground ambulance transfers from the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport,” said Betty-Lou Rock, vice-president of Manitoba operations for STARS.
The heliport will see its first landing by this spring.
