News : Prepared for anything: VGH staff handles two AirCare emergencies simultaneously

Two helicopters land to transfer patients same time, same hospital, VGH

VINTON, IA — On any given day the helipad at Virginia Gay Hospital sits empty. Perched on an elevated spot just off the golf course, the landing pad sits unnoticed by most passersby. Ordinarily, the pad sits empty, waiting for action. Wednesday, August 11th was no ordinary day, however.

Virginia Gay Hospital has staff members assigned to work specifically in the Emergency Room. Physician’s Assistants Matt Wilden, Allison Berns, and Justin Cook rotate between the Acute Care wing and the Emergency Room duties.

P.A. Allison Berns was on duty on Wednesday and the emergency room was quiet until mid morning when a patient was brought in by private vehicle. After several lab tests, it became apparent this case was very serious. Realizing time was of the essence, Berns determined that University of Iowa Hospital was best suited for the patient’s needs and called the AirCare helicopter based at U of I to transfer the patient.

Moments after the soft spoken P.A. hung up the phone with AirCare, a transmission came over the radio from the North Benton Ambulance. They were bringing in a patient with severe injuries. "The EMS crew gave us excellent information while they were en route to the hospital," Berns said. A second helicopter was called, and within 15 minutes, not one, but two helicopters were in the air, on the way to Virginia Gay Hospital.

Along with the three rotating PA’s, a physician is assigned to be on call for serious emergencies. Dr. Maggie Mangold received the call when the first patient arrived. When the staff found out another patient was on the way, Dr. Mark Dearden also came from the clinic to lend a hand. "Whenever there’s a PA in the ER, the physician on call comes in to help manage critical situations. I have a lot of confidence in Allison and she did a fantastic job, but physicians and PA’s work as a team in situations like these and we make sure we have as many hands ready as we need to," Dr. Mangold said.

"It was pretty clear shortly after the other patient arrived that we’d need another helicopter," Dr. Mangold said. While the helicopters were in transit, Dr. Mangold started to perform a procedure on one of the patients to help stabilize the patient’s condition. With the intense heat of the day, and the high demand for electricity, the entire city of Vinton lost power. "We were doing a pretty intensive procedure when the power went out," she said. "Within a few seconds, the hospital’s emergency generators kicked in, and the procedure continued as before. Everyone stayed calm and we got the patient stabilized." She added, "The atmosphere was very professional and very calm, given the situation. This is why we train and why we’re thankful to have an excellent emergency room at Virginia Gay."

The helicopter from Iowa City arrived first, and was placed on the helipad. Within minutes, the Lifeguard helicopter from St. Luke’s arrived and was directed to land in the parking lot directly outside the emergency room doors. While both helicopters were in the air, the VGH maintenance staff worked on clearing the hospital parking lot and the Vinton Police Department assisted in blocking off the street.

Though this is the first time anyone on staff remembers two helicopters landing at the same time at Virginia Gay Hospital, P.A. Berns said she was most impressed with how everyone pulled together, and how smoothly it all went. "It was clear that the entire staff knew just what to do."

Dr. Mangold added, "We get a lot ER visits, and we’re able to manage most things here, but our role is also to determine when a patient needs an intensive care unit or other specialized care, get our patient stable, and get them transported as quickly as possible."

"You could really see the strength of our hospital at work on Wednesday", Dr. Mangold said, "and what I’m most proud of is that everyone worked together for the patients. The entire staff had the patient’s interests first, and because that came above everything else, we were able to leave feeling pretty good about our day’s work."