HSHS Southern Illinois Division is pleased to announce the launch of HSHS Rescue Flight, the new helicopter serving HSHS St. Joseph’s Highland, HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Belleville, and HSHS St. Joseph’s Breese. Service began last Thursday, January 21. Ribbon cutting events will held the week of February 8 at each of the three hospitals served.

HSHS Southern Illinois Division has partnered with Air Methods Corporation, a global leader in air medical transportation, to provide service to all three hospitals and their communities.  The new helicopter will be stationed at St. Joseph’s Highland, cutting patient transfer times by as much as 11 minutes. Patients needing specialized care will no longer have to wait for a helicopter to commute from St. Louis. Minutes saved with the new helicopter service provides opportunities to save heart muscle in cardiac patients and brain tissue in patients with stroke or neurological symptoms. Having a helicopter based in the community also allows for quicker access to care for on scene emergencies and reduces the transport time to a trauma center.

The helicopter base will be staffed with four pilots, four paramedics, and four flight nurses, who will rotate shifts. The helicopter will be staffed with a pilot, paramedic, and flight nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, a maintenance crew for the helicopter is employed.

“This will be a real benefit to the community as a whole,” said Julie LaFrance, Director of Planning and Operations at HSHS St. Joseph’s Highland. “HSHS Rescue Flight will add to the level of emergency care and safety for residents in our community.”

To celebrate the arrival of HSHS Rescue Flight and the new service, a blessing and ribbon cutting event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9 at the helipad at St. Joseph’s Highland. The public is welcome to attend the event and learn more about the helicopter service, tour the helicopter, and enjoy refreshments.

Two more ribbon cutting events will take place to celebrate the new service. The event at St. Joseph’s Breese will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and the event at St. Elizabeth’s Belleville will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11.

For more information about HSHS Rescue Flight and ribbon cutting events, please contact Amy Liefer, Director of Communications at St. Joseph’s Highland, at 618-651-2589 or amy.liefer@hshs.org.

About Hospital Sisters Health System

Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality, Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 13 Local Systems and physician practices in Illinois (Belleville, Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Highland, Litchfield, and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan, and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org.  For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.