Recently, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital made fast transport to its emergency services easier, opening a new helipad just outside its hospital-based emergency department.

“One of our goals is to provide easy access to the care that our community needs, especially in areas of the Blue Ridge region that need access to emergency care,” noted Jonathan Davis, president of Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. “When a patient lives in a distant community and is experiencing an emergency, air transport service is the best way to get that patient to the hospital quickly. We are pleased to now be able to support air ambulance services offering that fast transport to our more rural patients.”

Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital will accept patients from AirCare5, as well as from Pegasus. This medevac service allows faster transport to Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital for critically ill patients, including patients experiencing strokes or heart attacks. These services are equipped with advanced medical equipment used by highly trained personnel who can make a life-saving difference for patients coming from a distance.

Once they arrive at the hospital, the helicopters will land outside of the emergency department. This location represents the quickest access point to emergency services as well as to an alternate entry to the main hospital, bypassing the emergency room to send the patients straight to heart and stroke procedural areas.

“As a not-for-profit hospital, our mission is to improve the health of our community members every day; and by opening this helipad we are doing just that,” added Davis. “We are offering more timely access to the advanced care patients need, in the community hospital setting they want.”