December 2025 – alecbuck.com

Cooper Health| December 4, 2025 | Camden, NJ

Cooper University Health Care’s Air Medical Services is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month, marking a decade and a half of delivering rapid, lifesaving emergency transport and critical-care response for communities across South Jersey. The Air Medical Services team supports southern New Jersey’s leading academic health system and only Level 1 Trauma Center — and the busiest in the region.

Launched on December 4, 2010, Cooper Air Medical Services has become an essential extension of Cooper’s regional trauma and emergency care system. Over the past 15 years, Cooper Air crews have responded to thousands of emergencies, providing swift transport for trauma patients, supporting inter-facility transfers, and ensuring critically ill and injured patients receive timely access to advanced care.

“Cooper Air Medical Services is more than just the transport of patients, it’s Cooper’s promise to the communities we serve to provide the highest level of trauma and specialty care available in South Jersey,” said George E. Norcross III, chairman of the Cooper University Health Care Board of Trustees. “We are very grateful to Cooper’s Air Medical Services team for 15 years of saving lives and providing rapid response and medical expertise that is not offered anywhere else in the region.”

“Cooper Air Medical Services plays a vital role in linking communities throughout our region directly to Cooper’s Level I Trauma Center and our nationally recognized specialists,” said Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, co-CEO of Cooper. “Every minute matters in an emergency, and for 15 years this team has delivered exceptional care with unmatched skill and dedication.”

“Providing lifesaving academic medicine to residents across South Jersey is both an honor and a profound responsibility,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, co-CEO of Cooper. “The entire Cooper team is grateful for the extraordinary professionals who make up Cooper Air Medical Services and their steadfast commitment to saving lives.”

The helicopter fleet includes Cooper 1 and Cooper 2, both EC135 Eurocopters owned and operated by Cooper’s partner for the past 10 years, Metro Aviation, Inc. Metro’s expert pilots, specialized mechanics, and meticulously maintained aircraft help drive the success of Cooper’s air medical program.

Metro’s industry-leading safety record remains central to ensuring the safest possible transport for patients. Both Cooper 1 and Cooper 2 are equipped with advanced GPS navigation, weather radar, aircraft collision-avoidance systems, night-vision capability, and a comprehensive satellite-based, real-time in-flight data monitoring and communication suite to support the highest standards of safety and efficiency.

Each flight is staffed by Cooper’s highly trained team of flight nurses and flight paramedics, all nationally certified in their respective specialties, including certified flight registered nurse (CFRN) and flight paramedic (FP-C) certification.

“For 15 years, our crews have responded at a moment’s notice—day or night—to deliver critical care when it matters most,” said Rick Rohrbach, MBA, BSN, RN, CFRN, CCRN, MICP, assistant vice president, EMS and Air Transport Operations at Cooper. “Patients and families can trust that Cooper Air Medical Services will always provide expert, compassionate care.”

As Cooper marks this milestone anniversary, the health system celebrates the dedication of its Air Medical Services team and its ongoing mission to expand access to lifesaving care throughout the region.

Photo and story from Cooper Health press release.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital | December 3, 2025 | Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati Children’s will begin using a dedicated helicopter transport service to help kids with critical health needs access one of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals.

“Having a dedicated helicopter service will help us expedite the safe transfer of hundreds of neonatal and pediatric patients from outlying areas,” said Rich Falcone, MD, a pediatric surgeon who serves as the health system’s chief of staff. “The time it takes to transport kids from distant parts of Ohio or nearby states will be cut in half or more with this new service, and specialized care will begin as soon as our team arrives.”

Denver-based Air Methods, which owns and operates medical transport helicopters nationwide, will provide the aircraft and pilot. The Airbus Helicopters model EC145, which includes night-vision capability, has a cruising speed of over 150 miles per hour. The aircraft will have a roundtrip range of 300 miles from Cincinnati Children’s Burnet Campus, though longer distances are possible in cases that involve refueling.

“We’re honored to partner with Cincinnati Children’s on a dedicated helicopter that will help more pediatric patients reach the exceptional, time-critical care they deserve,” said Tony Raymond, Air Methods’ senior vice president of major accounts. “Together, we’re combining Air Methods’ 45 years of experience delivering lifesaving care at more than 300 bases across 48 states with Cincinnati Children’s renowned clinical expertise to provide the region with a highly equipped, expertly staffed aircraft that can truly make the difference between minutes lost and lives saved.”

The aircraft will be branded with Cincinnati Children’s logo and colors. In alignment with its focus on children, the health system is holding a contest to choose a creative and original name for the helicopter. Participation is open to children 17 or younger. The winner and finalists will be invited to attend an official unveiling event. For contest rules and how to enter, visit Helicopter Naming Contest.

Kids and families from all 50 states travel to Cincinnati Children’s for care every year, including by airplane or helicopter. Cincinnati Children’s has a helipad atop the Critical Care Building at the Burnet Campus in Avondale and another at the health system’s Liberty Campus in Butler County.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steadily increasing volume of requests for air medical transport to Cincinnati Children’s for critically ill patients from hospitals across the region,” said Kelly Besl, RN, clinical director of Cincinnati Children’s Critical Care Transport Team. “A dedicated helicopter means we can bring Cincinnati Children’s expertise directly to the bedside and ensure safe, efficient transport to a higher level of care.”

The helicopter crew will include a critical care registered nurse and a respiratory therapist, both employees of Cincinnati Children’s. A physician will join when needed due to patient acuity. In all cases, physicians with Cincinnati Children’s provide direction while patients are transported.

Flights are to begin in February 2026. They will be coordinated by the Transport Team at the Cincinnati Children’s Access Hub, which recently opened on the Burnet Campus to optimize collaboration, capacity and patient flow for the health system’s three hospitals and its more than 50 other sites of care.

The Access Hub is staffed by about 100 Cincinnati Children’s employees, including the Critical Care Transport Team, the Admission and Transfer Center, Home Care and Remote Patient Monitoring. The 7,500-square-foot Access Hub, which resembles NASA Mission Control, is equipped with a 29-foot-wide wall of LED video screens that show patient flow as well as ambulance bays and the two helipads.

Air Methods will transport patients to Cincinnati Children’s from other health systems in the region. The helicopter service won’t involve emergency response to local traffic accidents or other incidents, which can be handled by other air transport firms or ground ambulances.

Photo and story from Cincinnati Children’s Press Release.

Cooper Air Medical Services Celebrates 15 Years

Cincinnati Children’s launching helicopter transport