For the Wausau Times

WAUSAU – In April, Aspirus MedEvac critical care transport will move the home location of its helicopter service from Wausau to Woodruff. The Aspirus Bell 407 helicopter will reside in a hangar located at Howard Young Medical Center.

“Around 90 percent of air transport patient volumes come from north of Aspirus Wausau Hospital (AWH),” said Jason Keffeler, Aspirus MedEvac system director. “This move will allow us to reduce transport time from locations in Wisconsin’s Northwoods and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”

Repositioning air services to Woodruff will provide a 20-30-minute advantage when responding to a critical medical transport needs in the northern portion of Aspirus’ service area. This is especially important for time-sensitive conditions that need immediate rapid transfer for tertiary care services at Aspirus Wausau Hospital such as heart attacks, strokes, or trauma cases. The move still allows Aspirus MedEvac to provide timely transport services in central Wisconsin.

“Providing a high level of care to the more rural parts of our service area is an important part of Aspirus’ commitment to provide quality care across the system,” Keffeler said. “We want people to know that when they are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, they can be quickly transported to where they can receive the best and most appropriate level of care.”

The MedEvac helicopter can pick up patients from regional hospitals or directly from the scene of an emergency. MedEvac air is staffed with a pilot, a flight nurse, and a flight paramedic and can transport one patient. The helicopter service is also supported by nine ground base locations throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Aspirus Medevac has been accredited by the National Accreditation Alliance of Medical Transport Applications (NAAMTA) since 2015. They were the first hospital-based program in the NAAMTA Alliance and the first program to meet 100 percent compliance in the inspection process.

More information can be found about Aspirus’ medical transport services at www.aspirus.org/medical-transport.