Air Ambulance Coming To Columbia
Emergency medical response is about to get a lot faster in Tuolumne County. Starting Monday, Doctors Hospital in Modesto will initiate service from “Air Med II”, an air ambulance based at Columbia Airport. Tuolumne County EMS Coordinator Dan Birch says the base will provide a complete package of services, including 24-hour, 7-day staffing. He says response times, especially to more remote locations in the Mother Lode, will improve by as much as 30 minutes.
Birch says Air Med I is at a disadvantage traveling from Modesto. The project has been in the works since last June, and involves a new Heli-pad and crew quarters at Columbia Airport.