UW Health expands services with new Med Flight base in Janesville

UW Health has opened a new Med Flight base in Janesville, Wisconsin, with the aim of providing faster emergency medical services to patients in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The new base, located at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, includes a helicopter and critical care ambulance. Trevor Johnson, a flight nurse manager, believes that having this base in Janesville will greatly benefit patients by allowing medical professionals to reach them more quickly and transport them to tertiary care centers faster. The helicopter has been in operation at the new base since June 20, making it the third UW Med Flight base outside of Madison.

The decision to open this new base in Janesville was based on data showing that a majority of flight requests were coming from outside of Dane County. The close proximity to SwedishAmerican Hospital in Rockford also played a key role in selecting Janesville as the location for the new base. The critical care ambulance stationed at the Janesville base is primarily used for pediatric and neonatal transports, marking the first time UW Health has remote-based one of its ambulances. The increasing number of pediatric and neonatal transports coming out of the Rockford area influenced this decision.

Overall, the opening of the new Med Flight base in Janesville represents a significant step in improving emergency medical services for patients in the region. The strategic location of the base, along with the inclusion of both a helicopter and critical care ambulance, ensures that patients in need of urgent medical care can receive prompt and efficient transportation to specialized care centers. UW Health’s expansion of its Med Flight services exemplifies its commitment to saving lives and providing high-quality emergency medical care to communities in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.