EARLY work on Portland District Health’s (PDH) new helipad has started with the removal of power lines near the site.
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The helipad, first mooted five years ago, will be built between the hospital’s emergency department and SeaView House.
PDH chief executive officer Christine Giles said the site was a much better option than others on the table.
“Talk of putting it on the roof were discounted very early. A rooftop helipad would require a lot of structural work to meet standards and would require lift access,” Ms Giles said.
“It would have been a multi-million-dollar project.”
She said the other option was to use Ploughed Field, directly across from the hospital.
“That presented it’s own challenges. Ploughed Field is a significant part of Portland’s heritage, which was the major factor in us deciding against it,” Ms Giles said.
“It also would have involved building a concrete slab near a very sensitive clifftop and would have required significant drainage work to protect it from further erosion.”
Ms Giles said the Ploughed Field option meant an ambulance would be needed to transport a patient to or from the emergency department.
“It would mean that service is kept from other duties while it waits for the helicopter to arrive and depart,” she said.
“The new location will mean the patient can be transferred straight from the emergency department into the helicopter, meaning they can be transported to specialised treatment quicker, improving the chances of survival.”
Ms Giles said construction would involve reconfiguring the driveway entrance to the emergency department and removal of some car parks on Bentinck Street and on hospital grounds, which would be relocated to a new car park adjacent to the main hospital building.
She said in-ground directional lights on Ploughed Field and controllable traffic lights at either end of Bentinck Street would also be installed.
“The plan is for the helicopter to fly to Ploughed Field, drop to 100 metres and hover across Bentinck Street,” she said.
“We also propose to move a few things on Ploughed Field to make sure there are clear approaches.”
She said the majority of funding would come from the Blue Ribbon Foundation and local fund-raising that has been held over several years.
“We’ve had a lot of community consultation and the vast majority of feedback has been positive,” she said.
It’s hoped the project will be completed by the end of the year.
