2
Photo Info
Airbus H130 with Children's Hospital Colorado livery

Children’s Hospital Colorado patients to benefit from Airbus H130

Children's Hospital Colorado Press Release | May 5, 2017

Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 53 seconds.

Thanks to collaboration between Flight For Life Colorado (FFLC), Centura Health and Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado), the organizations have announced that a new Airbus H130 helicopter will take flight and begin serving neonatal and pediatric patients who need to be transported beginning May 1.

Airbus H130 with Children's Hospital Colorado livery
The helicopter will provide transportation to pediatric patients within a 120-mile service area, including Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and southern Wyoming. Children’s Hospital Colorado Photo

The Children’s Colorado and FFLC-branded helicopter is the first of its kind and will serve patients around the Rocky Mountain region. The helicopter has been configured to meet the needs of the tiniest patients, featuring more interior space, and providing an improved platform for the isolette and other equipment essential to newborn and pediatric transport.

With the addition of the sixth helicopter for FFLC comes increased staffing to meet the growing demand for specialized transport in the region. Children’s Colorado’s FFLC program will now have two specialty teams available 24/7, including specially-trained nurses and respiratory therapists, supported by emergency medical technicians (EMTs), pilots and communication specialists. Studies have found that the use of pediatric specialty care teams during transport improves outcomes for pediatric patients.

“The helicopter is an incredible tool that, combined with our world-class team of neonatal and pediatric experts who are the soul of our program, will help assure care to our most vulnerable patients as quickly as possible,” said Joe Darmofal, director of flight team, EMS, outreach and education at Children’s Colorado. “The helicopter and expanded staffing also illustrate the benefits of our strong and historic partnership with Centura and FFLC.”

Facts about the helicopter:

• The Airbus H130 will be based in the Denver-metro area. It will be supplied by AirMethods Corp, provider of FFLC’s current helicopter fleet, along with pilots, mechanics and supporting services;

• The helicopter will provide transportation to pediatric patients within a 120-mile service area, including Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and southern Wyoming;

• Children’s Colorado and FFLC have partnered since 1997 to optimize neonatal and pediatric transport services in the Rocky Mountain region.

“Children’s Hospital Colorado has relied on Flight For Life Colorado for 20 years, for its critical care transport needs,” said FFLC director Kathy Mayer. “This expansion, to add a dedicated helicopter, is part of our 45-year long commitment to the communities we serve and to the patients who need us, across a nine-state region. We’re happy to be working with Children’s Colorado on this latest expansion of our service.”

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HAI Heli-Expo 2024 Recap

Notice a spelling mistake or typo?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Report an error or typo

Have a story idea you would like to suggest?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Suggest a story