Phoebe completes on-campus helipad

(ALBANY, GA) — You may not be able to see it from the streets, or even inside the building, but Phoebe Putney Hospital has completed one of the first steps in their Phoebe First Initiative.

Phoebe Emergency Services Medical Director, Dr.James Black says, “I think it’s great for both the hospital and the community. It allows access from neighboring communities and gets patients to definitive care a lot more quickly, especially when minutes count.”

The helipad was completed at the start of March, and will serve to cut down on vital minutes for patients who are airlifted to Phoebe.

Especially since the previous landing spot was a couple of blocks North of the campus at Tift Park.

“We had the soccer field, and the helicopters would land there. And we would rely on one of the local ambulance services to bring the patient from there to here. Now with the helicopter landing on top of the helipad, they can take the elevator down,” says Dr Black.

With one of the only helipads with direct access to the emergency room in Southwest Georgia, something as unseen as the helipad goes a long way towards a new goal.

Dr. Black says, ”Well, as you know we’re on our way to becoming a level 2 Trauma Center, and this is a piece of that puzzle. A lot of the surrounding community relies on us for caring for their patients.”

With more additions and renovations underway at Phoebe, the helipad helps in bringing them closer to current hospitals in the state.

The construction of the helipad was one of the goals for the hospital in 2020.