Cantwell, Local Leaders Celebrate Grand Opening of New Helipad at Island Health

Cantwell, Local Leaders Celebrate Grand Opening of New Helipad at Island Health

New helipad will help rural Island and Skagit County residents get medical care faster in an emergency; Cantwell helped secure $2.5M in federal funds to relocate & rebuild helipad in more accessible location

ANACORTES, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), joined regional leaders for the grand opening to celebrate Island Health's new helipad, which will help patients in Island and Skagit counties get treatment faster in an emergency.

"Rural facilities without a helipad have to drive patients in an ambulance to the nearest airport, and then reach services. But that's not what's going to happen here," Sen. Cantwell said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "So this is a victory for quality health care in Washington. It's a victory for Anacortes and for the communities around here. The community needs to be congratulated for coming together and articulating the need for this critical support."

Sen. Cantwell was joined by Anacortes Mayor Matt Miller, Island Health CEO Elise Cutter, Island Health Foundation Board President Elliott Johnson, and local OB/GYN Dr. Kathy Garde.

Sen. Cantwell helped secure $2.5 million in federal funding to construct the new helipad, located on the roof of the Island Health's Acute Health Care Unit. The current helipad - located in the hospital's parking lot - is insufficient to meet the needs of the region because every time a medical air flight lands, the crew must ensure the surrounding area is clear of cars and pedestrians. Flights landing on the new rooftop helipad won't interfere with patient, employee, and visitor access to the hospital and won't be as disruptive to neighboring residences.

Currently, medical teams travel the length of a football field each way to retrieve a patient from a helicopter and get them into treatment. Relocating the helipad to the roof means that patients in Island and Skagit counties who need to be airlifted to Island Hospital will get care faster, and that patients can also be transported to other regional trauma centers quicker. Island Health's helipad sees over 170 landings each year.

The full cost of relocating the helipad was $4.5 million. The federal funding secured by Sen. Cantwell covered over half of the cost.

Video of today's press conference is available HERE; audio is HERE; photos of the event are HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell's remarks is HERE.