Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center has partnered with New Hanover Regional Medical Center to station an AirLink aircraft at the Brunswick campus to enable the rapid transport of patients who need critical, specialty interventions available at NHRMC and other trauma centers.
“Patients in need of help aren’t focused on county lines,” said John Gizdic, NHRMC’s president and CEO. “This partnership illustrates how health systems can work together to get patients to the right level of care at the right time.”
“Novant Health is committed to getting patients the help they need in the most critical situations,” said Shelbourn Stevens, president, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center. “We are proud to partner with New Hanover Regional Medical Center to provide this new service to our community and help ensure patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible.”
Previously, patients in need of transport from Brunswick Medical Center or the surrounding area would have either waited for an AirLink helicopter to arrive from outside the county or been transported via ground. This new service will expedite care for patients in the most critical situations.
The helicopter in Brunswick County will be the third AirLink stationed in the region. NHRMC AirLink helicopters are also stationed in Jacksonville and Whiteville. An NHRMC VitaLink transport vehicle will also be stationed at Brunswick Medical Center to enable specialty care ground transport when air service is not available.
“We are thrilled to improve access for patients with time-sensitive illnesses and injuries in Brunswick and surrounding counties by partnering with the hospital to base AirLink at Brunswick Medical Center,” said William Powers, IV, MD, medical director of AirLink/VitaLink Critical Care Transport. “We see this more rapid access to the critical care resources available on AirLink saving more lives.”
AirLink has received the Mission: Lifeline Gold Plus EMS Recognition for the care of patients experiencing a ST-Segment Myocardial Infarction, the most severe form of heart attack. Every AirLink helicopter has highly specialized equipment including blood products, laboratory testing, high flow nasal cannulas, ventilators, and cardiac monitors with hemodynamic monitoring systems.
