Helicopter will make us all safer

As of Sept. 1, you will be safer.
That may sound a little silly, but it’s true.
Amid all the flooding and assorted bad news of the past week, it’s understandable that the announcement of Lutheran Hospital’s decision to base one of its helicopters at Portland Municipal Airport might have been overlooked.
That’s a shame, because Lutheran’s decision to place one of its life-saving helicopters in Jay County could legitimately rank as historic. And the impact of that decision affects every living, breathing soul in Jay and surrounding counties.
Life will be safer for that entire population because of the incredibly fast emergency response times that will become the norm after the Sept. 1 launch of Lutheran’s service here.
As one flight nurse put it this week, in an emergency the most critical factors are “time and tissue.” And the Portland-based helicopter cuts response time dramatically.
Between now and Sept. 1, when a three-year contract goes into effect, a “breezeway” between two hangers at the airport will be converted into living quarters for a pilot, a flight nurse and a paramedic. In many ways, it will be like the living quarters at a fire department.
The estimated cost of that remodeling is $40,000, and the city’s share of that will be 40 percent or $16,000.
That adds up to an amazing bargain for this community. It’s hard to imagine any dollars better spent.  — J.R.