AirLink helicopter takes flight at new Brunswick County location

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Saving time and lives, that’s the goal of a new project between Novant Health and New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

This is not your average run of the mill medical project, it’s a whole new method of transportation for Brunswick County that will help get folks who need critical care at lightning speed.

This chopper is ready, set and taking off between New Hanover and Brunswick counties.
It’s called AirLink, and is designed to serve the same purpose as an ambulance, but faster.

This aircraft is now stationed in Brunswick County for those critical patients.

“It can be heart attacks, it can be strokes, we just had a story told here last week of a patient in the community having a stroke [who] was brought here loaded on the helicopter, was on the table in New Hanover receiving treatment in 45 minutes and that saved that man’s life,” Shelbourn Stevens, the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center president, said.

Previously, patients had to wait for AirLink to arrive from out of the county or be transferred by ambulance.

Now, with this partnership between Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center and New Hanover Regional, that’s no longer the case.

“[We are] very excited about this partnership and being able to bring this very valuable asset and base it here in Brunswick County and be able to make a difference in bringing people to that care that they need quicker,” said John Popella, Director of Critical Care Transport at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

If you need stitches or twisted your ankle, don’t expect to fly first class to the emergency room.

“Minor injuries like lacerations probably not,” Popella added.

This is the third New Hanover Regional AirLink helicopter stationed in the region. The others are stationed outside Jacksonville and Whiteville.