The Estevan helipad site has been selected for the STARS medical evacuation teams to use once the helicopter service becomes operational in Saskatchewan later this year.
"The engineers were here in the late fall and the site was chosen," said Greg Hoffort, executive director of St. Joseph's Hospital where the landing pad for the helicopter's ambulatory system will be placed.
"The helipad will be located on the west side of the hospital property, near the emergency bay," Hoffort said.
Last week the Sun Country Health Region's interim chief executive officer Marga Cugnet told The Mercury that so far there have been no answers coming from the Health Ministry regarding helipads that will have to be built across the province. She said she had heard cost predictions of anywhere from $125,000 to $400,000 since they had to be built in accordance with Transport Canada specificiations.
"So it won't involve just pouring a cement pad," she said.
As to how it will be paid for, Cugnet said they are still waiting for information from the Health Ministry and "they'll be coming to talk to the regions. There will probably be some fundraising required."
But Hoffort said that from the hospital's perspective, "it's a provincially funded initiative. That's what we're told and expect. But we're waiting for that information and I expect it will be a combined effort once it begins because they'll need to build these pads in Estevan and Weyburn as well as all around the province."
"We understand construction is expected to begin this year with completion in the fall with the air lift program fully operational by then," Hoffort said.
"We don't know the costs yet, but it's a provincial government funding effort. I haven't seen where any tenders have been called though."
Cugnet said the assessments for the helipad sites began in November and the plans for pads in Sun Country include only Weyburn and Estevan but they may be expanded later if other health care centres are identified for potential use by the medical evacuation helicopters.
"The procedure over time will track the number of times they are used and specific criteria that will be used for the pickup of victims and patients," said Cugnet.
The helicopter evacuation systems will enhance the ambulatory systems already in use which include an extensive network of road ambulances plus some fixed wing aircraft that will continue to be used to airlift victims and patients.
It is expected that the STARS helicopter service will deploy two units at the start, with one each in Regina and Saskatoon with the plans to incorporate a third chopper out of Saskatoon within the next few years that will be dedicated to serving the more northern regions of the province.
