On Friday 29th September 2017 President Karen and DGE Anthony along with members of the Maryborough Ambulance Auxiliary, Maryborough and Carisbrook Lions, Maryborough Lodge and Maryborough Highland Society representatives journeyed to Horsham to view the Horsham Aeromedical Transfer Station (HATS).
At the site we were met by Horsham East Rotary PP Jenny Reid, Wimmera Lodge's Philip Nicks and Horsham Ambulance Auxiliary member and Paramedic Paul Burton.
Paul explained to us the reasons the transfer station came about whist Jenny and Phil explained how the community came together to raise the funds to construct and fit out the building. In all $160,000 was provided I cash and In-kind to allow the facility to be completed.
The purpose of the facility is to allow for a patient to be prepared for travel by air ambulance, fixed wing or helicopter. The concept is that the patient is bought to the facility by road ambulance, they may not have even been taken to the hospital, the ambulance enters into the facility via roller doors, the doors are shut the climate is controlled and the patient is readied by the paramedics either from the road ambulance or the aircraft and on occasions by both. Being made ready includes transferring from the road stretcher to the aircraft stretcher as they are different for obvious reasons. Once the patient is ready doors on the other end of the building are opened and the patient is placed on the aircraft. At no time are unauthorised persons present on the tarmac.
The facility contains no medical equipment or drugs as these are all in the ambulance or on the aircraft.
The facility at Horsham has been used for more than 400 patient transfers in the past 12 months, it allows the patient to be readied for transfer no matter what the weather conditions are, what time of day it is etc
At this point in time there has been no formal request for funding for the facility but if the indication from those in attendance is anything to go by a project to provide a similar facility at the Maryborough Aerodrome is definitely in the pipe line. Investigations into siting etc have been made with the Shire.
