UW Health is expanding their Med Flight emergency helicopter resources to Southwestern Wisconsin. Starting in spring, a Med Flight helicopter will operate out of a hangar at Iowa County Airport near Mineral Point.
One of the two helicopters currently operating out of Madison will move to the Mineral Point location. For over 30 years, Med Flights have operated exclusively from Madison, covering a 250 mile radius.
Frank Erdman, manager of critical-care transport at UW Health says this expansion will allow each helicopter to cover a smaller area. He estimates that it will cut down on response times in those areas by about 20 minutes.
Dr. Ryan Wubben, a physician at UW Health and the Medical Director of Med Flight, says having better access to the area will help them give better medical care.
“Being pre-positioned that much closer will help save a lot of time and allow us to be much more efficient in our response, to not only the hospitals but also the EMS, police and fire agencies at work in that region,” Dr. Wubben says.
Med Flight helicopters operating out of Iowa County Airport will still have all of the same resources as flights coming out of Madison. A physician will be on every flight to provide medical service while en route to the hospital. The new Iowa County helicopter hangar will include office space for physicians and medical supply storage.
All patients who are transported through Med Flight will be taken to one of the three Madison area hospitals.
http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Med-Flight-Expanding-to-Southwestern-Wisconsin-365852131.html