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The Maui News
Air ambulance helicopters will be allowed to land at night at the Maui Memorial Medical Center helipad beginning April 1, reducing the time it takes to get patients to the hospital by air ambulance, Maui Health System announced.
Currently, flights can land only during daylight hours, requiring that nighttime emergency air transports land at Kahului Airport and moving patients into an ambulance to be transported to the emergency room, according to a news release.
"Solving the problem of nighttime helicopter landings at Maui Memorial Medical Center is a real game changer," Dr. Lee Weiss, medical director and chairman of the hospital Emergency Department, said in the news release.
He said that as the hospital becomes a more sophisticated care center, it will increasingly rely on helicopter transfers from Lanai and other parts of Maui.
The air ambulance service operates 24 hours a day, providing transport and in-flight medical care for patients in rural areas including Hana, Molokai and West Maui, according to the news release.
The opening of the hospital helipad at night also will help critical patient transfers from the Big Island by Kona-based GMR Air Medical Services, said Speedy Bailey, Global Medical Response's Regional Director in Hawaii.
Those with concerns or questions about the extended hours of air ambulance flights can call Lisa Paulson at 442-5086.