Officials say new heated helipad at Texas Health Plano will 'save lives'
PLANO (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Texas Health Plano is celebrating a new helipad that'll be heated for those icy North Texas days in the winter.
It is believed to be the only heated helipad for a hospital in North Texas. Elevated with glycol heaters, it will not freeze over when temperatures drop.
On Thursday, there was a lot of pomp and circumstance to celebrate the unique helipad with a parade of first responder vehicles followed by a ribbon cutting.
"The quality healthcare that we have here in Plano is so essential," Plano Mayor John Muns said.
This is the second helipad for Texas Health Plano; however, this one is closer to the critical emergency room and ICU—allowing doctors and nursing staff to have easy access to intervene quickly.
"It offers the opportunity for our EMS providers to continue to transport patients even in very difficult conditions," said Chief Nursing Officer Laura Massey. "We receive really critical patients and it's important for us to be able to allow them access to our facility here for our care."
The hospital said they can help patients as far away as southern Oklahoma, and that this helipad will save lives.