The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center will start transporting patients to emergency rooms by a helicopter staffed with a specialized critical care unit in July.
The staff will assist in medical care at the scene of severe accidents before airlifting accident victims to the most appropriate facility in the area. Helicopters will also be used to transfer patients between hospitals.
"There's good information documenting the medical benefits of rapid transport and treatment, and studies have shown that air transport can significantly lower mortality rates for victims of trauma," said Dr. Norman Yanofsky, DHMC emergency department director and medical coordinator of the helicopter project.
The helicopter service will cost about $2 million per year, which will be used for leasing the helicopter, fuel and salaries of paramedics, nurses, pilots and dispatchers.
DHMC will pay for the project by charging patients who use the helicopter for the flights.
The air transport service will pick up patients and accident victims throughout New Hampshire and Vermont and take them to hospitals within the two states and Massachusetts.
The helicopter will be leased on a two-year trial basis, during which DHMC will evaluate the regional need and cost-effectiveness of the program.
Even with the more efficient helicopter service, ground transportation will continue to provide the majority of patient transportation to and from DHMC, according to a statement released by DHMC.
The addition of air transport to DHMC's services will bring the New Hampshire and Vermont area up to par with the rest of the nation, where helicopter transport is a recognized standard, according to the statement.
The helicopter will be stationed at DHMC except during inclement weather when it will be located at the Lebanon Regional Airport.
