Overlake Hospital to open new helistop Sept. 1

Overlake Hospital to open new helistop Sept. 1

August 25, 2009 7:14 pm
An emergency medical helicopter makes a test landing at the new rooftop helipad at Overlake Medical Center near Northeast 12th Street and Interstate 405 in Bellevue on Thursday.
An emergency medical helicopter makes a test landing at the new rooftop helipad at Overlake Medical Center near Northeast 12th Street and Interstate 405 in Bellevue on Thursday.

Bellevue is getting a new helistop, and this time it has nothing to do with Kemper Development or the Bank of America Building.

Overlake Hospital Medical Center will open a new helicopter-landing station for emergency services at its main campus on Sept. 1.

The hospital previously had access to a helipad in nearby downtown Bellevue, but patients had to be taken by ambulance to the emergency department.

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The new helistop will help Overlake provide faster response times bringing patients in for treatment or moving them to other healthcare facilities, according Overlake President and CEO Craig Hendrickson.

Overlake is a Level III trauma center and a backup responder to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Overlake anticipates approximately five to 10 patient transports per month.

The helipad opening follows a year of planning and fundraising by Overlake Auxiliaries, a charitable organization dedicated to the hospital. The group raised much of the funds for this project during its 2008 Bandage Ball.

“Without their continued generosity, we would not be able to fund critical capital projects like the helistop,” Hendrickson said.