BILLINGS — Billings Clinic is launching a new Boseman-based helicopter air ambulance service beginning in July. On Monday, they held training for their newest flight crew.
The training was for the medical crew and included state-of-the-art mannequins. The mannequins have features such as bleeding, rising and falling of the chest, vital signs, and more.
“They got to do procedures they don’t usually get to do on patients, but they needed to have those skills,” says Whitney Gum, MD, the medical director of the Billings Clinic med flight.
The training also included a van. In the back of the van is the exact dimensions, equipment, and seats of the helicopter that will be used as the air ambulance. This helps make training more efficient and realistic.
The air ambulance service will begin in early to mid-July after construction has been finished on the hangar at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
“It’s really important to have this resource for the community to be able to take them from point A to point B in a rapid manner,” says Ted Galbraith, operations manager for Billings Clinic med flight.
The air ambulance will cover a 150-mile radius, and deal with traumas and moving people from hospital to hospital.
