Listen to this articleRWJBarnabas Health unveiled the latest way to get patients the care they need quickly: a new helistop at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton.
Launched Nov. 13, the helistop will serve as a 24/7 landing and takeoff area for medical helicopters, including those in RWJBarnabas Health’s LifeFlight fleet, the health care provider said.
It will also allow hospital staff to more quickly transfer critically ill or injured patients in need of advanced, specialized or trauma care.
RWJBarnabas Health President and CEO Mark Manigan said the network “is home to the largest and oldest mobile health operation.”
“We have over 1,700 EMS workers, touching over 200,000 individuals a year. When every second counts, the shortest distance between two points is an important thing,” Manigan said, adding, “If we need to get a patient from here to New Brunswick, the quickest, shortest, fastest way possible is a direct shot, in the air, in a direct line.”
RWJBarnabas’ Mobile Health air medical program launched in 2019, according to the network.
The health system is not disclosing the cost of the latest investment.
Watch more from the unveiling here:
Small addition, big impact
“Saving lives is our business, and this new helistop enhances our ability to respond quickly when time makes a difference. While it is a small addition to our campus, its impact will be profound – saving time, saving lives, and strengthening our network of care,” said Lisa Breza, chief administrative officer at RWJUH Hamilton.
Jim Smith, senior vice president, Mobile Health, added, “As New Jersey’s largest hospital EMS program, the addition of the Helistop provides another access point to efficiently and effectively move critically ill patients across the state to higher levels of care without delay.”
According to a spokesperson, RWJBarnabas Health’s five other helipads are located at:
- Community Medical Center Toms River
- Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus Lakewood
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset Somerville
- Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston
