Two ambulance helicopter services to be provided in county
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 25, 2016 1:46 PM
Wayne County will soon be home to two different helicopter ambulances services.
Vidant EastCare Medical Transport last month based one of its EastCare medical transport helicopters at the Mount Olive Airport. An ambulance, that will be used when the helicopter can't fly because of weather or other conditions, is also stationed at the airport.
Wayne County commissioners have authorized County Manager George Wood to move forward with any improvements needed at the Wayne Executive Jetport in order to accommodate UNC Carolina Air Care aircraft.
The board's approval is contingent on the county successfully executing a long-term lease from UNC Carolina Air Care to base its air and ground operations at the airport.
"The purposed lease would be for $4,000 a month," Wood said during the board's meeting last Tuesday. "That would be $48,000 a year so we are thinking that in less than three years that these improvements will be paid for. The lease would guarantee we would get at least those payments should they leave.
"We are not going to go forward until we have a signed lease."
It is a five-year lease with a five-year renewable option, Assistant County Manager Tommy Burns said.
Burns told commissioners that UNC Carolina Air Care had approached the county in February about establishing a base of operations at the airport in conjunction with UNC Health Care's recent management agreement with Wayne Memorial Hospital.
The hospital signed the agreement with UNC Health Care, the state-owned not-for-profit integrated health care system based in Chapel Hill, on Dec. 30, 2015.
Hospital officials have said UNC will be able to help the hospital with information technology; supplement its dealing with insurance companies and managed care; expand locally available hospital and community-based patient care services to enhance patient care; enhance operational efficiency; and provide access to cutting-edge research and treatments at UNC Health Care.
Burns said UNC Carolina Air Care initially looked at three sites including Wayne County. There were several follow-up meetings, he said.
The airport project would be to upfit one hangar to house the helicopter and air operations, Burns said.
"At the present time there will be one helicopter and up to three ground units and with additional capabilities to be expanded later to another helicopter and another fixed wing," Burns said. "In anticipation of that we did include an appropriation in the airport budget this year."
Cost estimates are needed and the county has a September-October time-frame for the improvements that needs to be met, Burns said.