New helipad offers Trenton residents more efficient healthcare

Air Evac now has a place to land in the city of Trenton.

After a hospital and the emergency room closed in Trenton in 2013, community members started to think of ways they could get healthcare to rural west Tennessee.

Bob Wilson, CEO of AVC Incorporated says, “As health care gets farther and farther away we need a way to get people farther and farther away faster.”

Along with a ribbon cutting of the new helipad, Air Evac also gave the citizens of Trenton a free year subscription to use.

It will allow residents to be transported to hospitals in Jackson or Memphis if needed.

Trenton city Mayor Ricky Jackson says the helipad has been in the works for about a year and is looking forward to a healthier community now that its finished.

“It just makes it easier for the citizens of Trenton to use what they’ve got to the resources they're providing here to hopefully save a life here", says Mayor Jackson.

This is not only a resource for the residents but also for the city… to attract more people to the city of Trenton.

“Certain things you need to have… good schools, good police and fire, and good medical care", says Wilson.

This helicopter on this helipad is only the first step to a much bigger project to provide more healthcare to residents in Trenton.

The helipad will soon become a heliport complete with medical personnel as well as an emergency room so patients can be stabilized before they get on the helicopter.

From Trenton for 39 News I'm Camilla Rueda.