Muskogee Regional Medical Center, in conjunction with Air Evac, has added helicopter services that will serve the area.

The Air Evac helicopter will be on-site for the new interventional cardiology program. It also will be used for other needs such as transporting patients to facilities with a higher level of care and handling on-scene situations such as traffic collisions.

In order to make the service available 24/7, a backup helicopter will be on hand.

Heart transplant survivor Carl Greuel, 56, said he hopes the new aircraft is utilized wisely.

“Muskogee does need one; I agree with that,” he said. “Maybe they could form some kind of alliance with the VA hospital and get the maximum use out of it. If something should happen, it’s nice to have the availability of the emergency room.”

MRMC Chief Operating Officer Chris Whybrew, said the brand new Air Evac chopper will be based in Muskogee but with a flexible schedule.

“We anticipate one to two flights per day for MRMC, and it will be available to other hospitals in the region as well,” he said. “Both our cath lab and the ER have a direct line to the helicopter. It’s a red phone they call the ‘bat phone.’”

Whybrew said the helicopter and its ground facilities will be paid for by Air Evac. A fenced section of a parking lot that has been used as a construction staging area will become the new helicopter site.

“Air Evac owns the helicopter; we’re providing them a free place to stay,” he said. “They will bill the patient. They are providing crew quarters, a hangar and refueling equipment.”

Whybrew said that integration with local emergency responders is crucial, and Muskogee County EMS has been “very instrumental” in working out plans for coordinating using of the chopper.

Dr. Amer Mahayni, triple board certified in internal medicine, general cardiology and interventional cardiology, said he is pleased with the helicopter service.

“It is very crucial,” he said. “It’s a very important part of the (interventional cardiology) program. There is a very small chance — less than one percent — of needing emergency bypass surgery within 24 hours of interventional surgery. But that’s how this whole thing started. This is the standard of care.”

Mahayni said he is excited by the improvements at MRMC.

“I think over the past six months there have been major advances as far as the services the hospital is offering,” he said. “But, the interventional surgery program will not be able to start without the helicopter services.”

The helicopters used by Air Evac are a type called the Bell 206 LongRanger. They are more than 42 feet long and weigh 4,150 pounds. Their range is 390 miles, at a cruise speed of 136 miles per hour and a maximum ceiling of 20,000 feet.

MRMC Chief Executive Officer Steve Mahan said the helicopter service reinforces MRMC’s role.

“This chopper is part of us making ourselves a true regional medical center,” he said. “It’s services are not only for the hospital but for the region. This is why having those general surgeons available is so doggone important.”

Mahan said he sees even more improvements in MRMC’s future.

“My vision for this hospital is to regain our Level III status, and have full-time orthopedic and general surgery for the ER,” he said.

The staff at MRMC can serve most patients the helicopter transports, Mahan said.

“We can regularly handle 90 percent of the needs,” he said. “Beyond that, they can go to one of tertiary hospitals (nearby major hospitals) in this area. This is a component that will be a very useful service for this community. It will be a community-based helicopter.”

Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email