Lehigh Valley Hospital MedEvac Adds First of Three New Helicopters to Fleet

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (May 6, 2008) - Look up in the sky. It's not a bird or a plane but rather Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network's (LVHHN) updated fleet of medical helicopters bearing the program's new name, Lehigh Valley Hospital MedEvac, in association with Air Methods, the world's largest air ambulance operator.

LVHHN unveiled one of its new blue and silver helicopters today at the Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest helipad, located next to the emergency department entrance.

The new aircraft is an EC-135 and features a glass cockpit, which means it is entirely digital. This state-of-the-art technology includes night-vision goggles, a traffic collision avoidance system and GPS tracking. The helicopter will be stationed in Monroe County. Two more new helicopters will be delivered later this year. The BK-117 based in Kutztown, Pa., will be completely refurbished.

"It was time for us to upgrade our fleet," says John McCarthy, D.O., LVHHN's chief of EMS. "The features of these new helicopters provide an added level of safety."

Lehigh Valley Hospital MedEvac operates four aircraft from its helicopter bases in Berks, Carbon, Monroe and Schuylkill counties. It has served the Lehigh Valley region with air medical transport for more than 26 years, flying over 40,000 patients. LVHHN contracts with a vendor to provide the helicopters, pilots and maintenance crews, and LVHHN provides the medical team. The MedEvac program operates in conjunction with LVH's Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications, the only one of its kind in the region.

Based in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa., Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network comprises Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest & I-78, Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th and Chew streets, Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg and Lehigh Valley Health Services, which includes home health, hospice, pharmacy and health management. Advanced regional resources at these non-profit hospitals include a regional burn center, kidney and pancreas transplant, perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities. LVHHN hospitals are designated national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing.

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