By Chris Schilling, The Republic
GREENSBURG — Decatur County Memorial Hospital will become the base for a medical helicopter.
Clarian Health Partners will begin operating a LifeLine helicopter from the hospital in September, hospital and Clarian officials said.
The helicopter will be one of two new LifeLine helicopters in the state, which will double Clarian’s fleet of medical air transportation.
The Greensburg-based helicopter will respond to emergency scenes and fly patients from area hospitals to other facilities.
“This means we’ll have a quicker response not just for Decatur County, but for surrounding counties,” said Robin Meyer, Decatur County Memorial Hospital vice president of support services.
“The people in the rural areas are going to get the same treatments and response times as people in big cities.”
Each air transport carries a pilot, flight nurse or medic and a flight physician.
Meyer said the helicopter service will complement its expanded 7,500 square-foot emergency department that opened in January, which includes a landing pad.
Clarian officials said Greensburg was chosen as a base because of its location and affiliation with Clarian Health.
Jon Mills, a Clarian spokesman, said the organization has been planning to expand its LifeLine service, but a trend of area hospitals adding similar services has quickened their expansion.
PHI Air Medical established a helicopter base last summer at Columbus Regional Hospital, and Louisville-based StatCare operates a helicopter from Seymour’s Schneck Medical Center.
Mills said added competition for air transportation has caused the number of LifeLine flights to plateau and possibly dip a little over the past year.
“We’ve planned on expanding for some time, but I think the business trend may have expedited it a little bit,” Mills said.
Clarian operates two medical helicopter bases, one at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis and another at Howard Regional Health System in Kokomo.
The Greensburg base and another opening in August in Terre Haute will increase the LifeLine fleet to four helicopters, spread throughout the state.
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