LifeNet Georgia, a division of Air Methods Corporation, will use the helicopter to transport critically ill or injured patients from Hall, Forsyth, Lumpkin, Dawson and other northeast Georgia counties to the most appropriate health care facility for treatment. LifeNet Georgia made the decision to move its base in Jefferson to Lanier Park so the helicopter will be closer to the patients it serves, thus improving response times once it is called by first responders or emergency medicine providers.
"Moving the base to Lanier Park will shave as much as eight to nine minutes off our response time," said Chad Black, business development manager for LifeNet Georgia. "Those eight to nine minutes can make all the difference when a patient's life is on the line."
NGMC is leasing the Lanier Park campus helipad, as well as space in the parking lot to LifeNet Georgia. The helipad will be used for takeoffs and landings, while a temporary base office will be set up in the parking lot. The lease agreement will not affect the types of patients treated at NGMC, or the type of treatments offered at NGMC.
"We see LifeNet Georgia as a service that helps patients get to the appropriate level of hospital care when time is of the essence," said Dane Henry, NGMC's vice president of Support Services.
"By working with LifeNet to support permanent placement of one of their aircraft in Hall County, we feel Northeast Georgia Health System's goal of providing exceptional health care is also enhanced. This was the right thing for the community."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/10/213859