Overland Park, KAN.  — Overland Park Regional Medical Center, whose ER has Johnson County’s only Trauma Center, celebrated its new critical care transport helicopter with a ribbon cutting and demonstration.

The helicopter will carry neonatal, maternal, cardiology, and neurology patients, among others, who require immediate, highly specialized emergency care, along with specialty transport teams. The hospital is home to the region’s largest program for neonatal intensive care services (NICU) and advanced care for moms requiring intensive care services – keeping moms and babies together in the same hospital.

The air ambulance is staffed with highly trained nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics, and pilots and will operate around the clock, responding to emergency situations involving both adults and children in a four-state region. In addition to the specialized care, neonatal nurse practitioners are included in the service, providing a NICU in the air for babies during their most vulnerable time.

“Our team is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care with some of the most advanced treatment options available in the Kansas City region,” says Overland Park Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Matt Sogard, FACHE. “Our highly skilled neonatal and maternal transport teams are prepared to safely deliver and care for premature or critically ill infants and for mothers with high-risk pregnancies. Our hospital also has some of the area’s best cardiologists, neurologists, trauma specialists and emergency medicine physicians offering expert care. This transport helicopter will ensure that patients requiring critical emergency care get to the specialists in the fastest and safest manner.”

Minutes matter when it comes to time-critical patient care, notes Robert Holcomb, M.D., Overland Park Regional Medical Center NICU-Midwest Neonatal Transport Team Medical Director.

“This highly specialized hospital-based air ambulance will help transform how emergency services are delivered, especially to patients in outlying rural areas in a four-state vicinity where there may be limited complex specialty services available,” he says. “This transport helicopter is part of our growing continuum of care, which will result in better outcomes for patients during their most vulnerable time. Ultimately, it is what’s best for the patients and communities we serve.”

Overland Park Regional Medical Center is part of HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City’s leading healthcare provider. For more information about Overland Park Regional Medical Center and the spectrum of comprehensive healthcare services it provides, visit oprmc.com/delivers.