Shands at UF is adding a second helicopter that will focus on calls from Marion County.
ShandsCair, the air medical and critical care transport system for Shands, will begin operating its new helicopter and base, ShandsCair 2, on Wednesday.
Spruce Creek Fire Station 30 in Summerfield will host the base. An EC135 helicopter will sit on a concrete helipad at the station until called by ShandsCair, which receives three calls a day on average, said ShandsCair program director Staccie Allen.
Operations will begin at 8 a.m. on Feb 15, Allen said.
The helicopter will also be used for other areas when the first one is in use.
Allen said she did not know how much the project cost.
Patients picked up by the new helicopter will be brought to Shands and other hospitals within an approximate 210-mile radius.
"The idea is to get more people to treatment faster," Allen said. "In the world of medicine, the faster you treat them, the more likely they are to have a positive outcome."
The project has been planned for about a year, and the Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved it in January.
The station chosen for the base has eight open acres on its property, and it already had space to house ShandsCair staff, said Marion County Fire Rescue spokeswoman Jessica Greene.
