New North Carolina HEMS service
Bladen County Hospital, in south-eastern North Carolina, will launch a new LifeLink Air Helicopter, to serve the area’s 30,000 residents
The Bladen County service will employ an Airbus H135, and will be operated 24/7, all year round.
The hospital, part of the Cape Fear Valley Health group, primarily offers care to residents of Elizabethtown, the town in which it is located, as well as neighboring towns such as Bladenboro, Clarkton, Tar Heel and White Lake.
The service will be provided by medical helicopter operator Med-Trans, who will supply the aircraft, as well as pilots and maintenance services. Cape Fear Valley Health will provide medical equipment, supplies and healthcare crew under the arrangement.
The helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) is the third to be established by Cape Fear Valley Health, joining two other services that serve Harnett and Scotland Counties.
North Carolina’s State Highway Patrol (SHP) unveiled its new Bell 429 on 25 April.