Prisma Health and LifeNet partner with new helicopter in Laurens County
The EC130 T2 emergency helicopter operates out of a new base in Clinton, South Carolina
A new helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) is operating in Laurens County from new air medical base in Clinton, South Carolina. LifeNet 7 and Prisma Health held a joint event at Prisma Health Laurens County Hospital to celebrate this new service, allowing residents to take a look at the aircraft that transports emergency and accident victims to hospital. LifeNet 7 patients include those with heart attacks, strokes and traumatic injuries from car accidents.
“This helicopter is a crucial resource for people in this area,” said Patrick Lamontagne, account executive with Air Method – LifeNet’s parent company. “Thanks to our fast response times and the exceptional skills of our flight nurses and paramedics, lives will be saved. We are thankful for the opportunity to support our community in this way.”
The EC130 T2 helicopter has blood stocked onboard and the crew can administer it to patients in-flight when there is a risk of severe blood loss and hemorrhagic shock. With the new base near Laurens County Hospital, this new helicopter provides residents with access to a HEMS with quicker response times for emergency and trauma situations. The helicopter can transport patients from the field and also quickly carry patients between hospitals for different levels of care as needed.
The LifeNet 7 base opened March 1, 2023, adding to the already established LifeNet program serving South Carolina with bases in Pickens, Camden, and Orangeburg, expanding access to emergency medical care for patients in rural areas.
“LifeNet is a strong partner for Prisma Heath, in part because they care about patients as much as we do,” said Prisma Health Laurens County Hospital’s Justin Benfield. “Having this aircraft right in our community means patients can get to the right level of care as quickly as possible, and that can make the difference between life and death in some cases.”
LifeNet have recently expanded in New York State with a new base in Oneida County.
Jon Adams
Jon is the Editor of AirMed&Rescue. He was previously Editor for Clinical Medicine and Future Healthcare Journal at the Royal College of Physicians before coming to AirMed&Rescue in November 2022. His favorite helicopter is the Army Air Corps Lynx that he saw his father fly while growing up on Army bases.