“I love the enthusiasm from our life-flight team, thank you,” said Brandon McBride, CEO of Logan Regional Hospital, to a crowd of more than 100 people at the Intermountain Life Flight ribbon cutting ceremony.
McBride said the hospital has experienced significant growth over the last 15 years. As a result, a lot of services have been added. To name just a few, a Women’s Center, a Cancer Center, two new surgical robots and construction is currently underway for a new four-story patient tower that will open in the summer of 2024.
The new 24/7 Intermountain Life Flight air ambulance service to Cache Valley has been in operation for about a month and a half.
Hyrum resident Beth Downs and her young son, Ethan, know firsthand how such a service can save lives. This past February, he was at home when he went into organ failure due to a twisted bowel and sepsis, and emergency medical technicians called Lifeflight.
“We watched as they did the full resuscitation in the emergency room and we are so grateful to everyone. The whole world seemed to stop for us and help focus on the life of one person,” said Beth Downs.
Paul Bunnell was a pilot in the U.S. Navy for nearly 30 years. He has been a life-flight pilot for the last year and a half and is happy to now be working at the new Logan base, which is close to his home.
“Just being a lifeflight pilot is one of the best jobs in the world. In fact two days ago, I flew someone out of here that I knew. And so just having that experience to be able to provide that service to this community and occasionally people that I know, there's no better feeling to be able to do that," said Paul.
Intermountain Life Flight provides about 4,500 transports a year and is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.
