Richard Froese
A helipad at a hospital is a vital service to enhance healthcare and emergency response in life-saving situations – and save lives!STARS air ambulance has been providing service to the High Prairie and Big Lakes County region for many years.
When the new High Prairie Health Complex opened in April 2017, the modern facility did not have a helipad, and still does not. A temporary helipad was on the site from June, 29, 2017 until it was closed by Transport Canada in January 2020.
Since then, STARS lands at the High Prairie Airport located several kilometres from the hospital south of High Prairie on Highway 749, which has a railway crossing.
The direct route to the airport was blocked when a train derailed on Jan. 11, 2023 and the crossing was closed for about two days.
Luckily, no major STARS transport was needed during the detour.
At that time, the High Prairie hospital was the leading hospital for STARS missions in northwestern Alberta and the top hospital for inter-facility mission.
Latest figures from STARS show that the number of inter-facility transfers for the hospital are growing. About one half of the responses in the region are for inter-facility transfers to and from the health complex.
STARS figures show that in 2024, 22 of 49 missions were inter-facility transfers. Before that the numbers were 19 of 38 in 2023, 21 of 39 in 2022, 17 of 39 in 2021, 7 of 33 in 2020, 15 of 33 in 2019, 10 of 26 in 2018,12 of 25 in 2017 and 17 of 48 in 2016.
The need for a helipad was discussed by Big Lakes County council Feb. 12 when STARS senior municipal relations liaison Glenda Farnden presented and discussed the report with council.
Big Lakes County has been lobbying the provincial government and Alberta Health Services for many years to get a helipad.
Reeve Tyler Airth says both the Alberta Health Ministry and AHS say those numbers don’t warrant a helipad at the hospital.
Now it’s time for Big Lakes, the Town of High Prairie and surrounding communities to step up in a united force to pressure Premier Danielle Smith, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and AHS secure a helipad at High Prairie Health Complex.
Residents can also write letters to Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair, Smith and LaGrange.
A helipad is a top priority for Big Lakes council.
A helipad at the High Prairie hospital will provide STARS with a long-term permanent solution that will also greatly improve the level of care for patients, states a Big Lakes briefing document for a helipad.
By eliminating the need to ground transport a patient to and from a local airport, it can free ambulance crews from other important emergency calls and save critical time, the document states.