New helipad to cut patient transfer times, inspired by Humboldt Broncos first responders

RUH helipad open for business From CTV Saskatoon's Laura Woodward: Patients in critical condition will now be able to get to the ER more quickly.

Saskatchewan’s second rooftop helipad is officially open.

The landing spot, on top of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, aims to get patients into the ER quicker.

“Each mission we will save at least 15 minutes, and when minutes count, it’s very important,” said Cindy Seidl, a flight nurse with STARS.

Previously, STARS landed at Innovation Place and patients were transported via ground ambulance to Royal University Hospital, which took up to 25 minutes, the SHA says.

With the heliport, patients will be inside RUH about five minutes after landing.

In an SHA debriefing meeting, first responders in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash expressed a need for quicker transportation times to the ER – which is why the helipad opened ahead of schedule.

“We were looking for opportunities for improvements and certainly the feedback that we had from physicians and clinical teams, was if we could open this helipad early, it would cut the precious moments of transportation down,” said Corey Miller, vice president of provincial programs with the SHA.

Once the new adult and children's emergency departments open this fall, patients will arrive within about three minutes of landing at the heliport.

STARS transports about 300 patients to Royal University Hospital each year.