Medical evacuation helicopter service coming to Charles City

Medical evacuation helicopter service has come to Charles City County, thanks to a private international company that is basing its service at a hospital in nearby Hopewell.

PHI Northeast has contracted with Hopewell’s John Randolph Medical Center to provide a base for one of its seven helicopters in use in Virginia, a company spokesman told county Board of Supervisors members during their May 27 meeting.

Jonathan Collier said his company utilizes over 200 helicopters worldwide with 70 based in the United States. The Hopewell-based helicopter will serve the surrounding area, he said.

The flight crew includes a nurse and a paramedic who can assist in the event of high-level emergencies including auto wrecks and heart attacks. First responders on the ground are to determine if helicopter transport is necessary, Collier said.

“EMS responders make the decision, and then we transport to the closest appropriate facility that we can respond to,” he said.

“We can take the patient to wherever the patient needs to go for the level of care needed,” he said, adding that destinations could include VCU Medical Center or any facility with a trauma center.

“Even though we’re based at John Randolph, it’s unlikely we’ll transport patients there since John Randolph does not have a trauma center,” he said.

There is no cost to the county, Collier said. Charges are billed through a patient’s insurance company, he added.

“We work with all patients, even those uninsured,” he said. “We have a very lenient charity policy.”

In response to a question regarding how long it will take a helicopter to reach Charles City, Collier noted the craft cruises at 135 miles per hour.

“We do a 5-6 minute walk around for safety before taking off, and then it should take us five minutes to get here.”

In other business at last week’s meeting, supervisors approved the county’s six-year secondary road improvement plan without making changes or additions. None could take place since state highway department officials said no money is available.

Money needed for Charles City’s existing projects has been reduced 29 percent in light of the state’s ongoing budget crunch, VDOT resident engineer Torrence Robinson told the board.

“To me, the six-year plan is more like a 60-year plan because of no funding,” board chairman Gilbert Jones said in response.

Also, supervisors voted for final approval on plans for the second phase of the Payne Estates housing subdivision off Willcox Neck Road.

Developer Douglas B. Payne plans to create 14 lots on just over 20 acres with lot sizes ranging from just under one acre to just over two acres. The subdivision is to be served by central water and sewer.