Members of the community and Rome Floyd Chamber of Commerce joined Redmond Regional on Thursday, August 23 for a ribbon cutting celebration of the hospital’s new helipad. In addition to the new construction, Redmond also announced an agreement with AirLife Georgia to base a full-time helicopter and flight crew at the hospital.

Redmond’s decision to build the new helipad was inspired by the desire to further enhance emergency services. One of the most visible changes was the expansion of the landing zone; designed to accommodate multiple members of emergency and trauma teams. The new helipad is located outside the ambulance entrance to the emergency room, thus allowing trauma and emergency teams to treat critically ill patients even quicker than before. The creation of the helipad and agreement with AirLife Georgia is another example of Redmond’s continued commitment to the citizens of Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.

“We are very pleased to announce the addition of our AirLife 15 air medical base,” said Marcus Lindsey, regional business development manager at Air Methods. “The new location offers enhanced access to care via our flying intensive care unit for the residents and visitors of Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama. This base is located at Redmond Regional Medical Center to centrally-position our team for timely response throughout the service area. We are excited to partner with them, as well as all area hospitals and first responder agencies in service to our neighbors.”

Redmond and AirLife Georgia have been working together for several months to finalize the details required to support the 24/7 needs of a helicopter on campus. In order to accommodate a full-time helicopter, Redmond installed electrical inputs and recess lighting into the groundwork of the helipad. In addition to the $350 thousand construction, living quarters were built out just below the emergency room to accommodate the on-call pilots.

“Redmond is proud to partner with AirLife Georgia and make the investment to support their aircraft and crew,” said Chief Executive Officer at Redmond, John Quinlivan. “We know many citizens will survive their medical emergencies because this helicopter is now based at Redmond. We feel very good about that.”

Throughout the evening of August 23, guests had the chance to meet the flight team and tour their on-campus quarters at Redmond. The pilots also gave guests an up-close look of the helicopter, allowing them to experience firsthand the impact AirLife Georgia will have on the community.