MetroHealth, ProMedica Unveil New Helipad on Main Campus

Life Flight 4

MetroHealth officials and community partners celebrated the opening of the new helipad on Main Campus with a special ribbon cutting on Tuesday, November 14.

The new helipad, located on the roof of MetroHealth’s Critical Care Pavilion, is the latest piece of a $1 billion transformation of our Main Campus in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood.

“This new helipad is like MetroHealth itself: The best place to land in an emergency,” said MetroHealth President & CEO Airica Steed, Ed.D, RN, MBA, FACHE, during her remarks. “A safe and solid place. A welcoming place. A place where patients get the best emergency and trauma care in the region. Landing here means landing in the outstretched hands of healing.”

The new helipad is more than a slab of concrete. This state-of-the-art space includes technologies that automatically remove snow and ice. It is also engineered to reduce the impact of noise and vibration, so patients and caregivers inside the hospital won’t notice when a helicopter is landing or taking off. 

It also provides rapid access to our Emergency Department, our trauma bays and our operating rooms.

The event also served as an opportunity to celebrate the deepening partnership between MetroHealth and ProMedica in Toledo. Last year, MetroHealth and ProMedica forged a partnership that created one of the most experienced non-profit air medical transport teams in the nation.

And because of the ongoing collaboration, ProMedica Air is adding two upgraded helicopters to its fleet.

In October, ProMedica Air welcomed a new EC145e into service and is expected to add another in December. The new helicopters are equipped with the latest life-saving technology and are operated with two fully qualified pilots for additional safety. The aircraft also boast cutting-edge avionics to assist with navigation and communication.

Since August of 2022, MetroHealth and its experienced Metro Life Flight team have managed all operations for ProMedica Air, which has served Northwestern Ohio and Southern Michigan for 35 years. This partnership resulted in a system with four air bases – in Lorain, Sandusky, Wayne and Lucas counties – with four helicopters. Over the last year, ProMedica Air, with MetroHealth’s support, has conducted nearly a thousand transports.

“For more than 40 years, Metro Life Flight has set standard for aviation medical support,” said Jacqueline Spence, Executive Director, Pre-hospital & Business Development, at MetroHealth. “By working so closely with ProMedica Air, we are elevating the already-impressive level of care provided across Northern Ohio. Over this last year, we have learned a tremendous amount from each other, and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

“ProMedica Air is excited to be part of an innovative partnership with Metro Life Flight. Our mission to serve our communities is strong, and we have found a way to deliver critical care air transport to our regional communities more effectively,” said Andrea Donahue, MSN, RN, EMT-B, Associate Vice President, ProMedica Transportation Network. “This partnership is unique, and we are leading the way for other air programs to partner together. Now is the time for thinking outside of the box, and we together are proving that these types of partnerships can work.”

ProMedica Air and Metro Life Flight’s aircraft are operated by Metro Aviation Inc.

Since its founding in 1982, Metro Life Flight has been committed to providing the highest level of care while implementing the highest safety standards in the industry. In addition to air transport, the team includes a robust ground unit that transported nearly 3,300 patients in 2022.