By Salatheia Bryant
The Houston Chronicle
Copyright 2007 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved
It was shortly after noon on Monday when the call came in: a 42-year-old female with a gunshot wound to the chest from the northwest Houston area. The Tomball-based Life Flight crew — pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic — was dispatched.
About 32 minutes later, the patient arrived at the John S. Dunn Heli-Stop atop Memorial Hermann Hospital. The next minute, she was in the emergency center.
In spite of that speedy performance, officials at Memorial Hermann Hospital say the familiar red helicopter — like others in the Life Flight fleet that swiftly ferry trauma and emergency medical patients above the congestion of Houston streets — is aging and needs to be replaced.
The hospital plans to replace the four helicopters with newer models and add two more — one in east Houston and the other for pediatric and obstetric use.
About $22 million of the $40 million price tag has been raised through donations from local industry and hospital employees. Today, the Memorial Hermann Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare system, will kick off a public campaign to raise the remainder.
“Our helicopters are 17 and 18 years old. It’s getting harder to find parts for them,” said Ileana Trevino, foundation CEO. “As the population of Houston grows, the demand and need is outpacing our need to respond with only four helicopters. What we’re seeing is an annual increase in the number of people we just can’t respond to.”
Trevino said the additional units will allow the hospital system to station one near the Ship Channel petrochemical manufacturing corridor and designate another for pediatrics, which accounts for a quarter of flights.
Life Flight’s service area covers a 150-mile radius around Houston, extending into Louisiana, Austin and Nacogdoches. After the 2005 BP Texas City refinery explosion, Life Flight transported eight patients. During Hurricane Katrina, Life Flight transported about 30 patients out of the New Orleans area. Crews also transported patients from Beaumont to Houston following Hurricane Rita.
Memorial Hermann started its air ambulance program in 1976, making it the second oldest such service in the country. Since then, it has made more than 110,000 patient runs.
“It was ground-breaking at the time. It was the new type of mode of transport for the critically ill,” said Will David, Memorial Hermann’s emergency services and Life Flight director.
Last year, the fleet made about 3,900 runs. But the program was unable to respond to about 100 calls because its helicopters already were in service.
The twin-engine helicopters can carry two patients along with the crew. The new units will be about 8 inches wider and about a foot longer and will be able to hold more fuel. Inside the cockpit, navigation and performance gauges will be replaced with screens. They also will come equipped with an on-board weather radar and climate-controlled drawers to store medications.
David said the new units will also save money on fuel and maintenance.
“It’s like upgrading to the Cadillac,” flight nurse Michael Kegley said.