Mar 28, 2009 12:29 am US/Eastern
Bill Backed To Stop Medevac Chopper Replacements
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
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There's growing opposition to a plan to replace Maryland's medevac helicopters.
State police and even the governor want Maryland's Medevac helicopters replaced this year, but there's growing opposition to that plan in Annapolis as legislation is introduced to put the replacement on hold.
Weijia Jiang reports emergency workers believe that delay is dangerous.
Doctors at Shock Trauma say every second counts when it comes to treating patients, and many of those seconds are saved by Medevac choppers. But some state lawmakers want to put a hold on buying new helicopters.
Six months after the deadliest medical chopper accident in state history, the images are still chilling.
Four people died in the crash, including Owings Mills volunteer firefighter Mickey Lippy and Ashley Younger -- just 18 at the time.
"She was really my friend, my everything. She was excited about life and college and just everything," said Stephanie Younger, victim's mother.
The accident sparked a bill in the Maryland Senate to prohibit state police from purchasing new helicopters until several studies are performed to show how Maryland's program stacks up to others.
"We want to always maintain the best Medevac and Shock Trauma system in the world," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
The bill aims to improve the way troopers use Medevacs by looking at health standards and costs.
"I just see it as being unwise and unnecessary," said Dr. Thomas Scalea.
Dr. Scalea, the top physician at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, says the state needs new choppers now.
Out of the 11 in the current fleet, eight were purchased between 1989 and 1990. Once units are 25-years-old, they are unavailable 45 percent of the time.
"That means we have fewer helicopters in the air. It's hard to meet the mission with fewer helicopters," sad Scalea.
Failing the mission could mean losing lives.
"Injury is a time-related disease, and the clock starts ticking at the time of impact, not at the time the person is on the roof or comes up to the ambulance bay. And all of that time in the field is time that needs to be spent wisely," said Scalea.
If lawmakers ultimately pass the bill, the earliest the state could buy a new helicopter would be the end of next March.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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