Royal Oak

Beaumont adds medical helicopter to repertoire

By Chris Jackett
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Deb Jacques The Beaumont One helipad is located in close proximity to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, making it easier for the facility to deal with trauma patients being flown in. Photo by Deb Jacques The Beaumont One helipad is located in close proximity to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, making it easier for the facility to deal with trauma patients being flown in. Photo by Deb Jacques From left, the first Beaumont One crew is Captain Carl Dornburg, lead pilot Bill Grimley and EMS pilot Shaun Bowling. 0 Photo by Deb Jacques From left, the first Beaumont One crew is Captain Carl Dornburg, lead pilot Bill Grimley and EMS pilot Shaun Bowling.

ROYAL OAK — Beaumont Hospital has joined a select few medical facilities in the state that provide a helicopter for emergency use.

Dubbed Beaumont One, the twin-engine American Eurocopter EC135 helicopter will pick up patients throughout Michigan and northern Ohio, bringing them back to the Royal Oak facility for medical treatment. The aircraft can travel up to 140 mph within a range of 350 miles. It has room inside for six people, allowing it to transport trauma victims or those stuck in inclement locations.

“Beaumont One will give residents, referring physicians and law enforcement agencies quicker access to complex medical care and the only Level I Trauma Center in Oakland and Macomb counties,” said Dr. Patrick Pettengill, emergency medicine specialist and Beaumont One medical director, in a release. “When time is critical, our flight crews can perform transports without concerns about traffic conditions on the ground.”

A 14-member Beaumont One flight team includes pilots, paramedics, nurses and mechanics.

Beaumont got the helicopter from Phoenix-based PHI Air Medical, the “leading air ambulance provider.”

“PHI has a very focused, personal approach and we are proud of the important work of our customers,” said Sean O’Neal, PHI Air Medical regional director, in a release. “We have invested greatly to ensure that our operations are comprised of the finest professionals, processes, technology and aircraft in the industry.

“Safety is our No.1 priority. Our total company safety record far exceeds the national average. In fact, we were the first company to receive the Vision Zero Aviation Safety Award. The pilots and maintenance technicians assigned to air medical duty are among the most experienced, dedicated and best trained in the world.”

According to Beaumont, an April 18 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association compared trauma patient survival rates between those transported to hospitals by helicopter and ground services. The results showed that “patients with major trauma flown by helicopter to Level I or II Trauma Centers had a higher rate of survival: 16 percent higher for Level I centers and 15 percent higher for Level II centers.”

Beaumont hopes the helicopter, which will be housed at the Oakland/Troy Airport in Troy when not in use or at the Royal Oak helipad, will help save lives of patients throughout the region. It will be used for hospital transfers and assist law enforcement agencies at accident scenes requiring trauma transport.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Chris Jackett at cjackett@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1110.