Hospital Wing hosts dedication ceremony for new helicopter base

MCKENZIE, Tenn. — Hospital Wing Air Ambulance held a dedication ceremony for its new helicopter base at the Sergeant Lee Russell-Carroll County Airport Thursday.

The base operates 24/7 with a three-person crew consisting of a pilot, nurse and medic.

Hospital Wing first had a daytime base in Carroll County at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Carroll County.

One helicopter, an Airbus H130, is available when area first responders request an air ambulance. It is part of a network of helicopters in west tennessee and throughout the country.

“It’s not just a fast ride – it is, and we can move patients at a fast pace, but it is critical care. We have a critical care nurse and a critical care flight medic that is on the bird, and that care continues all the way to their destination,” said Andy Rice, program director for Hospital Wing 6 in Carroll County.

After working with Carroll County Mayor Joseph Butler and approval by the Carroll County Commission and the Carroll County Airport Board, the air ambulance relocated to the airport, located on Airport Lane in McKenzie.

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