PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Coast Guard helicopter aircrew performed the first landing at one of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital’s new helicopter landing pads on April 10, 2019.
The hospital recently built two new rooftop helicopter landing pads in order to quickly move patients to needed care.
A Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City-based MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew performed the first landing on the larger of the two landing pads.
The Coast Guard aircrew and hospital personnel participated in the training to practice safely transferring patients from the aircraft to the emergency department.
“The new pad will help us streamline patient care from the Coast Guard team to the Sentara team,"said Denise Baylous, the program manager of the Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
At 269 feet off the ground, the rooftop pad makes the transfer of patients safer since it is out of the way of any obstacles.
The hospital anticipates that the pad designed to accommodate military helicopters will be ready for full operation in May 2019.