A central Alberta hospital helipad that was decommissioned in 2019 has been upgraded thanks to a community fundraising campaign. The helipad at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre was closed because of changes to Transport Canada requirements to accommodate larger helicopters. Since that time, patients requiring air transport have been taken by ground ambulance to Ponoka Airport where they are transferred to STARS Air Ambulance to be taken to an urban health facility. The province says a committee made up of community members raised $348,000 and $100,000 of gifts-in-kind for the project. “Upgrading the helipad is an important investment in health care infrastructure for Ponoka and the surrounding region,” Jamie Havanka of Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre said. “We appreciate the community’s commitment to this initiative and for the many partners whose contributions helped make it possible.” Community members Cam Rice, Peter Hall and Jason Cline sat on the committee. The province says Denis Hahn of Eagle Builders, the project’s primary contractor, also played a key role in the project.
