By Sarah Treffinger
Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Copyright 2006 Plain Dealer Publishing Co.
Starting today, the Cleveland Clinic will have a helicopter dedicated to transporting patients.
But the chopper won’t be painted Clinic green and blue until it has 800 hours of service.
Dr. Marc Harrison, director of medical operations and associate chief of staff, said the contract with Pittsburgh-based STAT MedEvac allows the Clinic health system to maintain control of the service and ensures that Clinic protocols will be implemented as early as possible.
Flights eventually will be staffed with teams of Clinic nurses and STAT MedEvac medics, but for now, STAT MedEvac will provide both, Harrison said. Based on patient need, a physician will be added to the mix.
Other area hospitals do things differently. The MetroHealth System owns a fleet of four helicopters, known as Metro LifeFlight, that handle trauma, critical care transport and inter-hospital transfers, said Dr. Mark Malangoni, chair of surgery. He noted that physicians are always on board.
University Hospitals MedEvac is a partnership with CJ Systems Aviation Group of West Mifflin, Pa., said Kobie Brooks, business relations and development coordinator. He said flight crews on two helicopters consist of nurses and medics, but they are not UH employees.
Working with STAT MedEvac not only gives the Clinic access to a helicopter, currently based at Burke Lakefront Airport, but also to fixed-wing aircraft. That includes propeller planes, Lear and larger jets for domestic and international flights, said John Chamberlin, a company spokesman.
In addition to air transportation, two new ambulances for the Clinic’s adult patients will be ready to roll in about a month. The health system already has a dedicated pediatric ambulance.
Harrison said the goal is to provide transportation among hospitals, both in and out of the Clinic system. A team can be called upon to move a patient from Lakewood Hospital to the main campus or to go to the other side of the world to pick up a patient.
Initially, transport teams will focus on critical care for children and adults. Teams will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Harrison said the Clinic started a pediatric critical care transport team in March 2005, but the adult version is new.