A helicopter crew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City are the first to land on the brand new helipads at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Sentara recently built two new rooftop helicopter landing pads in order to move patients more quickly to needed care. The helipads, which are 269 feet off the ground, will make landing safer since they are out of the way of any obstacles.
A USCG MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter performed the first landing on the larger of the two landing pads. Its aircrew and hospital employees worked together in training session to practice safely transferring patients from helicopter to the emergency room.
It’s good news for boaters in the Hampton Roads area, who could be transported by helicopter in an on-water medical emergency.
“The new pad will help us streamline patient care from the Coast Guard team to the Sentara team,” said Denise Baylous, the program manager of the Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
The hospital anticipates that the pad designed to accommodate military helicopters will be ready for full operation in May.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
