New helipad opens at Groves Memorial Community Hospital
ABOYNE – The helipad at the new Groves Memorial Community Hospital (GMCH) here is now open.
Officials say the new pad, opened on Dec. 1 at 9am, will provide critically ill and severely injured patients with fast access to specialized emergency care at the site.
“Accessing critical care quickly can make the difference between life and death,” stated GMCH president and CEO Stephen Street.
“The heliport will improve the health outcomes for critically sick and injured patients.”
Prior to the opening at Groves, the helipad was located off-site on Glengarry Crescent in Fergus.
“The new hospital property allows us the space to have the helipad located directly on-site,” explained Street.
“This also eliminates the additional step of having our EMS ground ambulance transporting patients from the hospital to the old helipad site across town.”
Street advised anyone visiting the hospital to stay at least 200 feet away from the helipad when in use, to protect against "noise and possible flying debris.”
