WAUSAU, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – Ascension Wisconsin is making cuts to its air medical transport operations in northern Wisconsin.
The Spirit 2 Helicopter based at Howard Young Medical Center will be discontinued by the end of 2020. Spirit 3 will be dropped when its operational agreement expires in August.
Ascension Wisconsin says they will have only one helecopter – Spirit One – based at Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee.
“There are many changing dynamics in the delivery of healthcare services in the region that created the need for these difficult decisions,” said Stewart Watson, M.D., Vice President-Clinical, North Region, Ascension Wisconsin.
Spirit conducted an extensive review of its operations that focused on past, present and predicted patient volumes and transportation needs. “Our review concluded that our air medical transport needs would be best met with a single helicopter strategically placed at the Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) at Mosinee,” said Watson.
Spirit will maintain a critical care ground base and resources for transport out of Woodruff from Howard Young Medical Center. Other Spirit ground bases are in Rhinelander, Weston and Stevens Point.
“The response time with Spirit 1 from CWA to the Northwoods is consistent with the average time to diagnose and stabilize most patients in the emergency room prior to being ready to transport,” said Ted Ryan, Director, Ascension Wisconsin Spirit Medical Transport. “We will leverage the full resources of our dispatch center and the talents of our dedicated associates to continue to manage our patient transport needs safely and effectively.”
