Memorial Hospital Lands Upgrade in Air Ambulance Services

One of the fastest, safest ways to transport a medical patient just got an upgrade. Meet the AIRBUS H125 helicopter, the newest member of the UCHealth Memorial Hospital staff. On March 5, it went into service—replacing Memorial Star, which served the region for 15 years. The new, red and white aircraft is part of the UCHealth LifeLine’s transport fleet and was purchased for about $3.5 million through a new partnership with REACH Air Medical Services. Featuring advanced terrain awareness warning and autopilot systems, the helicopter can get to sick and injured patients in New Mexico, along the Kansas border and Colorado’s far western communities. “It allows us to operate in mountainous environments better than the previous aircraft that we were in,” said Michael Thralls, director of the hospital’s Air and Ground Critical Care Transport. “It has the latest technology. It’s a brand new aircraft that came off the line in November.”