Daniel Rumpf/Special to The Gazette

Omniflight’s medical helicopter prepares to land at Trident Medical Center.

Daniel Rumpf/Special to The Gazette

Kishma Rollins of Omniflight helps fit Sydney Brant of News 2 with a helmet before one of the media helicopter rides last week.

Daniel Rumpf/Special to The Gazette

Above is an aerial view of Trident Medical Center. The hospital’s new helipad is located in front of the hospital, and marked with a red cross.

Daniel Rumpf/Special to The Gazette

Dr. William Yarborough

A new helipad at Trident Medical Center could mean the difference between life and death for heart patients.

The new helipad officially opened Sept. 2 at the North Charleston hospital. The pad will allow a helicopter transporting patients to land only yards away from the hospital entrance.

Before, the landing pad was across the street at Charleston Southern University, which meant a short drive across four lanes of traffic on Hwy. 78 to transport a patient from helicopter to hospital.

That transport from CSU took up to 15 minutes, officials said. With the new helipad, patients can be transported to the emergency room in five minutes.

“We’re going to save time … that is the bottom line,” Trident Health System Chief Operating Officer Mark Robinson said. “Time is heart muscle (that will be saved).”

“When you’re dealing with someone’s life, the faster you can get them to the cardiac catheterization lab and get the arteries open, the better. Every second counts,” chief nursing officer Cheryl Goforth said.

EMS coordinator Michael Shirey called the new landing site, which includes a concrete landing area and lights, the “Cadillac of helipads.”

On Sept. 9, local media were given a first-hand view of the new addition, and also received rides in the Omniflight company’s state of the art helicopter, which serves Trident and other area hospitals.

The short flights provided a bird’s eye view of the former landing site, as well as the new helipad.

Omniflight is a private company that serves hospitals around the nation. Four full time pilots are on call in the Lowcountry, according to Omniflight flight nurse Kishma Rollins.

Dr. William Yarborough of Trident’s cardiology center said heart attacks remain the no. 1 killer of Americans. “We’ve gotten better at treating heart attacks,” he said.

Robinson said Trident has been lucky to have Charleston Southern University just across the street, but the need for Trident to have its own helipad has been increasing.

“We are improving our patient care,” he said. “As a hospital, we take care of all types of patients and we have to provide the best access.”

According to the hospital, most patients will be flown in from Moncks Corner or Colleton County medical centers.

Robinson said the health system assessed a number of areas where the helipad might work – including the top of the parking garage and the roof of the hospital – but an open space directly in front of the hospital was the most appropriate spot that would have the least impact on the hospital’s day-to-day operations.

A medical transport vehicle modified specifically for emergencies will take patients from the helipad directly to the emergency department.

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