Bluewater Health says securing a helipad for its Sarnia site is crucial to allow for rapid transport of critically ill patients between hospitals.
Nearly 400 patients were transferred out of the area during the 2019-20 fiscal year. They had to be transported via land ambulance or taken to Chris Hadfield Airport and sent from there.
Chief of Staff Dr. Mike Haddad said that takes much-needed resources out of Sarnia-Lambton.
"What we have traditionally done is we use the help of our local EMS units in addition to releasing hospital staff to go with the patient somewhere else," said Dr. Haddad. "That puts a lot of strain on the system because we can't always backfill to keep our hospital units operating fully. Speed is of the essence in many of those cases so we can't really lose a lot of time."
Dr. Haddad said while Bluewater Health offers a lot of services, patients still have to go elsewhere for specialties like neurotrauma, brain surgery, multi-trauma, high acuity pediatric support, and burn treatment.
He said most hospitals of comparable size have a helipad, and says getting one to serve Sarnia is well overdue.
Bluewater Health VP of Operations Laurie Zimmer said the first phase of planning is underway.
She said it's a sophisticated process involving Transport Canada, Ornge Ambulance, and key stakeholders in Sarnia and Lambton County.
"We're really looking forward to a lot of community engagement opportunities, specifically to share information and get feedback around the location and any concerns that residents have around the building of the helipad," said Zimmer.
Bluewater Health is hoping to secure $800,000 from the County of Lambton to cover the capital cost of the project.
That request is expected to be dealt with during 2021 budget deliberations.