Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta administrator Dee Renshaw has released the site plans for the new Air Evac facility with groundbreaking scheduled to start in January. Work is expected to be finished in April.
"I am excited to welcome the new facility to Henryetta," Renshaw said Tuesday. “Air Evac’s commitment to Henryetta marks a new day for our community in the delivery of health care and will save lives with the rapid transfer of critical patients,” he said. “We are very excited about the arrangement between the hospital, Air Evac and the Henryetta Hospital Authority.” The base will employ a program director, four full-time flight nurses, four full-time flight paramedics and four full-time pilots, along with a mechanic and a membership sales representative. Air Evac employees live in and around the communities in which they serve, and are proud to work with local EMS agencies and hospitals to provide the best patient care.
Construction will include a new helipad, 30 by 50 foot hangar facility and 1,500 square foot modular building for "crew quarters."
The new helipad will be built just west of the existing helicopter landing area. The old landing area will serve as the footprint for the hangar facility.
During construction, the hospital will maintain a helicopter landing area to precent any disruption of service, Renshaw explained.
In November Air Evac and the Henryetta Hospital Authority announced the plans to build the new air medical base.
It will be the 14th in the state owned by Air Evac Lifeteam which is based in Missouri.
See more about Air Evac and the plans here.