Metro EC145e for Tampa General Hospital

Metro Aviation, March 25, 2021 - Shreveport, LA – Tampa General Hospital is upgrading its fleet of critical care helicopters with the addition of a new Airbus EC145e. The new helicopter provides more cabin space and faster air speeds than their current primary aircraft.

“This new medical air transport helicopter is an important part of Tampa General’s Aeromed Program and will play a key role in helping us provide potentially lifesaving care to critically ill or injured patients in 23 Florida counties,” said Michele Moran, senior director of emergency services, Tampa General Hospital.

“The larger interior means the medical flight crew has better access to care for patients, allows for improved views and communication between the pilot in the cockpit and the crew in the cabin or for a family member to accompany the patient, if appropriate,” said Moran.

The new EC145e is equipped with Metro’s standard medical interior and Genesys Aerosystems’ instrumental flight rules (IFR) HeliSAS Autopilot and Stability Augmentation System, providing workload reduction for both single and dual pilot operations. The aircraft also has the Outerlink Global Solutions IRIS combined voice, video and flight data recorder system onboard. The video function and data monitoring can be used for pilot training, while the flight following, push-to-talk radio, and live alerts and warnings allow Metro’s Operational Control Center to monitor the location and condition of the aircraft and verify alerts and conditions in real time.

Aeromed has been part of the Metro Aviation family of operations customers since 2013.

Tampa General Hospital

About Tampa General’s Aeromed Program: With a mission to provide safe, innovative, and world class pre-hospital and interfacility critical care air transport for adults and children. Aeromed is a private, non-for-profit hospital-based air transport program established in 1989. The specialized air medical crew is trained to care for all types of patients, including those needing advanced life support measures. It has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) since 2013. Aeromed has been an operations customer of Metro Aviation since 2013.

About Tampa General Hospital: Tampa General Hospital, a 1007-bed non-profit academic medical center, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020-21 Best Hospitals, and one of the top four hospitals in Florida, with five specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States.

It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need.

Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center.

Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 19 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.

 As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that uses artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost.

About Metro Aviation: Metro Aviation, Inc., based in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States is a worldwide provider of completion services for all missions and types of helicopters and specializes in the EC135 and EC145 with several Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) developed by the company for these and other aircraft. Metro is an FAA approved repair station, approved Airbus (Eurocopter) Service Center and FAR Part 135 air medical operations provider at several locations across the United States. The company is privately held and is one of the largest traditional air medical providers in the country.