Last year’s integration of Doylestown Health into the University of Pennsylvania Health System expanded the reach of PennSTAR, Penn Medicine’s critical care transportation service, according to a staff report from the Patient Daily.
PennSTAR now has two bases, with Wings Airfield in Blue Bell and Penn Medicine Doylestown Health, returning to Bucks County hospital operations for the first time since the 1980s and improving direct access.
PennSTAR has a fleet of EC 145 twin-engine helicopters for transporting patients from nearby and distant locations, including the Poconos, Delaware, the Jersey Shore, and Lancaster.
Launched in 1987 as Philadelphia’s second air medical program with a single helicopter, the service has evolved into an integrated part of the Penn Medicine Capacity Management Center, working alongside teams focused on patient transfers and hospital capacity.
Every PennSTAR flight includes a paramedic and a nurse with training in emergency medicine and critical care.
“Speed is a major advantage of helicopter medical transport, but it’s just as critical that these aircraft are capable of delivering intensive care, ensuring uninterrupted treatment from one location to the next, which is essential to improving patient outcomes,” said Wayne Riddle, PhD, RN, Interim Program Director for PennSTAR.
“The Doylestown community now has swift access to multiple critical care services that Penn Medicine offers,” said vice president for System Capacity Management and Patient Flow at Penn Medicine Robin Wood, PhD, MSN, CEN.
Read more about Penn Medicine Doylestown Health and how PennSTAR has expanded its reach in the Patient Daily.
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