Hospital pitches rooftop helipad for emergencies

Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco may soon have a helipad to help transport patients with severe trauma and medical emergencies more quickly. Thane Grauel photo

By MARTIN WILBUR

Northern Westchester Hospital is seeking approval for a helipad on its roof that would allow for the transportation of patients facing serious injury or illness to and from the facility for life-saving care.

Representatives for the hospital appeared Tuesday evening before the Mount Kisco Planning Board to present a conceptual plan that would allow helicopters up to 55 feet long and 16,000 pounds to land atop the eight-story Wallace Pavilion hospital building.

It is anticipated that there would be about 12 flights a year ending or originating from the hospital at 400 East Main St. That is the average number of annual helicopter flights to a location at Leonard Park over the past five years, which Northern Westchester Hospital has been using when faced with major medical emergencies, hospital personnel said. 

The choppers would be exclusively used for medical emergencies and would reduce the use of Westchester County Police and local fire department personnel that help clear the area of the park when a helicopter is needed.

“This helipad will be a very important addition for the hospital and for the community,” said Leslie Snyder, an attorney representing Northern Westchester Hospital. “Right now, if you’re suffering trauma, God forbid, a stroke, a heart attack, the hospital coordinates with the police, the fire, and a helicopter lands in the park, which is about half a mile away. This rooftop helipad will eliminate that, so there will be a reduction in using community resources and also speed the delivery of all of the residents of Mount Kisco and the surrounding area that rely on the hospital, especially during these situations where there’s a health crisis such as a stroke or unforeseen instances.”

Some of Northwell Health’s other hospitals in its network, such as Vassar Brothers Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center, also have installed helipads, according to Snyder.

Patrick Smith, Northern Westchester Hospital’s senior manager, operations, said the goal is to take care of more patients facing severe illness and trauma, in response to a question from board member Michael Bonforte. Smith said other types of care that the community has been familiar with at Northern Westchester for many years, such as its maternity services, will not diminish as a result of its quest to serve these patients more effectively.

“So we are looking at increasing our ability to take care of more sick patients, more significant trauma … but that would not replace our lower acuity patients who still need that community-based care close to home,” Smith said. “This is simply to augment that care.”

In the recent past, about 75% of the outgoing flights have been for emergency neonatal cases, he said. Northern Westchester sends patients to other facilities because a higher level of care is required.

Planning Board members’ comments were strongly in favor of the idea, although their concerns centered on safety, noise and other potential disturbance to the community.

“Obviously, saving lives, who’s going to argue with that,” said Chairman Michael McGuirk. “It’s a great benefit to the region and all of us. It’s a real positive. I think we just have to balance that with the possible impacts, and really to the degree that you can quantify that it’s 12 times. and maybe on the outside, it could be this high.”

Bonforte, who also viewed the potential helipad as a strong positive, said the hospital should demonstrate that it’s far enough away from its own parking structure and nearby residences that it doesn’t pose safety threats or major noise disturbances.

Board member Barbara Roppolo said there have been concerns voiced about noise and flight path, but those are some of the same issues that the village currently faces.

“I live in the neighborhood and I’m all for this,” Roppolo said. “I don’t care because if it was my loved one, I would want speed to be the focus of this, and if you’re going to be landing in the park, you’re still flying over my home anyway.”

In a Jan. 20 correspondence from McGuire Group Architects to the Planning Board, principal John McGuire referenced how the largest helicopter that would be used for transport would be the Leonardo AW139, which is measured between 70 and 80 decibels at ground level, similar to the noise generated by a 5-ton residential air-conditioning unit. An 8-foot-wide ramp will connect the hospital to the helipad.

McGuire stated how multiple flight paths would be available to pilots given the location of the helipad. Federal Aviation Administration guidance recommends that helicopter flight paths be oriented into the wind whenever possible, with crosswind approaches considered acceptable and downwind approaches avoided. The FAA guidance also recommends that helipads have at least two flight paths outlined.

“The proposed rooftop helipad and related improvements at NWH will support emergency medical transport and improve the efficiency of patient care for time-sensitive medical conditions,” McGuire wrote to the board.

Snyder also said that since NWH is zoned in the Hospital District, a helipad for medical purposes is considered an accessory use.

Board member W. Robert Phillips said that a helicopter landing on the roof would cause less disturbance than at the park. Having that service available locally is a net positive for the area.

“I’m completely in favor of this,” Phillips said. “I think everything that’s being discussed can be addressed. I think we should be very careful on the board not to place too many restrictive requirements.”

Snyder indicated that the hospital would submit a formal application to the village, possibly within the next two weeks.