AdventHealth debuts new helicopter

First responders, members of AdventHealth Ocala and members of the flight crew pose for a group photo with the new AdventHealth AirStar 1 helicopter after it landed on the helicopter pad at AdventHealth Ocala in Ocala, Fla. on Monday, March 4, 2024. The AdventHealth AirStar 1 is a cutting-edge medical helicopter set to redefine the landscape of patient transfers within the Tampa Bay region. The helicopter will serve all 13 AdventHealth West Florida Division hospitals. The state-of-the-art twin-engine Airbus H135 P3H will be stationed at Lakeland Linder International Airport, strategically positioned to serve AdventHealth’s West and Central Florida Divisions. It will be operated by a team of 12 highly trained medical professionals, including registered flight nurses and certified flight paramedics. As specialists in aviation medicine, the professionals undergo extensive flight safety training to ensure the best patient care during transfers. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

On March 4, the AdventHealth West Florida Division launched AdventHealth AirStar 1, a cutting-edge medical helicopter set to redefine patient transfers within the Tampa Bay region, which includes Ocala/Marion County.

AdventHealth AirStar 1 will enhance the efficiency and safety of hospital-to-hospital transfers, minimizing delays in critical care transports, noted the news release. The twin-engine Airbus H135 P3H will be stationed at Lakeland Linder International Airport. AdventHealth AirStar 1 will be operated by a team of 12 trained medical professionals, including registered flight nurses and certified flight paramedics.

The aircraft will be operational 24/7, 365 days a year, with state-of-the-art instrumentation and safety features. AirStar 1 also will be on standby for community 911 responses, providing rapid medical assistance for trauma, stroke and cardiac alert patients across multiple counties.