STAR Flight to open new base in Blanco County
The new base is expected to radically improve access to healthcare in the rural Texan county
Texas-based emergency aviation provider STAR Flight will open a new base in Blanco County, west of the city of Austin.
The $4 million facility is currently under construction, and is due to be operational before the end of the year.
The base will feature helicopter facilities, living quarters for crew, and an ambulance bay.
It is hoped that the new site will allow better transport times to hospitals for residents of the rural, poorly connected county. Currently, it takes almost an hour to reach the nearest healthcare facilities from most parts of the area – putting patients at risk of dying while en route to the hospital.
STAR Flight is an agency of nearby Travis County, but also serves 19 other neighboring counties across the Central Texas area.
Elsewhere in Texas, Air Methods announced the opening of a new fixed-wing air ambulance base in the town of New Braunfels in late 2023.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.