BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Raleigh General Hospital and Healthnet Aeromedical Services are celebrating the addition of a brand new aircraft.
The new helicopter has been in service with Healthnet for only one week, and after upgrading their helipad to help support it, Raleigh General is ready to have it at their hospital. According to Raleigh General’s COO Austin Wratchford, they’re ecstatic to see the new helicopter assist them in serving their community.
“This helicopter really is state of the art. It is brand new, and with that comes amazing, new technology that will be able to assist and help patients all over the region,” Wratchford said.
The helicopter costs $7.3 million and is state of the art. It can carry multiple passengers and even transport family members along with patients on their way to the hospital.
“With this helicopter, it has the capacity for two patients, it can take on more weight. It also has more room for equipment that can do advanced procedures while their en route to the hospital, such as ECMOs and ERCPs and things like that.”
The helicopter was custom ordered roughly two years ago by Healthnet, and was fitted with a medical interior in Louisiana before finally being transported to West Virginia last month. Healthnet’s President Clinton Burley says it’s a pleasure to finally use this helicopter to help the people of West Virginia.
“We have a long-standing partnership with Raleigh General, and serving as their preferred provider of air medical services, it’s important to have the right technology. This is a state of the art helicopter representing a $7.3 million investment in healthcare in southern West Virginia,” Burley said.
Counting this new aircraft, Healthnet Aeromedical Services now has 11 helicopters ready to serve the people of West Virginia.
