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Cincinnati Children’s to offer dedicated helicopter transport service for patients

Cincinnati Children’s to Offer Dedicated Helicopter Transport Service for Patients

Wednesday, December 03, 2025

Key takeaways:

• Starting February 2026, Cincinnati Children’s will partner with Air Methods to use a dedicated helicopter to improve patient access. 
• The helicopter will provide faster access to specialized care by reducing transport times for children from regional hospitals. 
• Cincinnati Children’s is hosting a contest inviting kids to name the helicopter. 

Cincinnati Children’s will begin using a dedicated helicopter transport service to help kids with critical health needs access one of the nation’s top pediatric hospitals.

“Having a dedicated helicopter service will help us expedite the safe transfer of hundreds of neonatal and pediatric patients from outlying areas,” said Rich Falcone, MD, a pediatric surgeon who serves as the health system’s chief of staff. “The time it takes to transport kids from distant parts of Ohio or nearby states will be cut in half or more with this new service, and specialized care will begin as soon as our team arrives.”

Denver-based Air Methods, which owns and operates medical transport helicopters nationwide, will provide the aircraft and pilot. The Airbus Helicopters model EC145, which includes night-vision capability, has a cruising speed of over 150 miles per hour. The aircraft will have a roundtrip range of 300 miles from Cincinnati Children’s Burnet Campus, though longer distances are possible in cases that involve refueling.

“We’re honored to partner with Cincinnati Children’s on a dedicated helicopter that will help more pediatric patients reach the exceptional, time-critical care they deserve,” said Tony Raymond, Air Methods’ senior vice president of major accounts. “Together, we’re combining Air Methods’ 45 years of experience delivering lifesaving care at more than 300 bases across 48 states with Cincinnati Children’s renowned clinical expertise to provide the region with a highly equipped, expertly staffed aircraft that can truly make the difference between minutes lost and lives saved.”

The aircraft will be branded with Cincinnati Children’s logo and colors. In alignment with its focus on children, the health system is holding a contest to choose a creative and original name for the helicopter. Participation is open to children 17 or younger. The winner and finalists will be invited to attend an official unveiling event. For contest rules and how to enter, visit Helicopter Naming Contest.

Kids and families from all 50 states travel to Cincinnati Children’s for care every year, including by airplane or helicopter. Cincinnati Children’s has a helipad atop the Critical Care Building at the Burnet Campus in Avondale and another at the health system’s Liberty Campus in Butler County.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steadily increasing volume of requests for air medical transport to Cincinnati Children’s for critically ill patients from hospitals across the region,” said Kelly Besl, RN, clinical director of Cincinnati Children’s Critical Care Transport Team. “A dedicated helicopter means we can bring Cincinnati Children’s expertise directly to the bedside and ensure safe, efficient transport to a higher level of care.”

The helicopter crew will include a critical care registered nurse and a respiratory therapist, both employees of Cincinnati Children’s. A physician will join when needed due to patient acuity. In all cases, physicians with Cincinnati Children’s provide direction while patients are transported.

Flights are to begin in February 2026. They will be coordinated by the Transport Team at the Cincinnati Children’s Access Hub, which recently opened on the Burnet Campus to optimize collaboration, capacity and patient flow for the health system’s three hospitals and its more than 50 other sites of care.

The Access Hub is staffed by about 100 Cincinnati Children’s employees, including the Critical Care Transport Team, the Admission and Transfer Center, Home Care and Remote Patient Monitoring. The 7,500-square-foot Access Hub, which resembles NASA Mission Control, is equipped with a 29-foot-wide wall of LED video screens that show patient flow as well as ambulance bays and the two helipads.

Air Methods will transport patients to Cincinnati Children’s from other health systems in the region. The helicopter service won’t involve emergency response to local traffic accidents or other incidents, which can be handled by other air transport firms or ground ambulances.