St. Vincent Helicopter Landing Planned for 2016 MATE Show
The St. Vincent HELP Flight makes a landing at the 2016 MATE Show as a demonstration and to give people a chance to have a closer look at the inside of the helicopter.
The HELP (Helicopter Emergency Lifesaving Program) Flight program started in 1979 for transporting critically ill or injured patients, especially in rural regions. Getting medical attention in a timely manner can reduce the severity of some cases.
Farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents are encouraged to become a part of the Rural Registry–a free service of addresses and directions to their home to let the HELP Flight team get to their destination quicker.
Landing the HELP helicopter just outside of the Home and Health Expo offers the public an opportunity to meet the HELP Flight team, and peek at the inside of the helicopter in a calm. controlled situation. St. Vincent Healthcare will be handing out children’s bike helmets during that time too. The team is made up of Flight Paramedics, Flight Respiratory Therapists, Neonatal and Maternal Flight Specialists, and Flight Communication Specialists.
The MATE show is February 18-20, opening at 10 a.m. each day and closing at 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 5 p.m. Saturday. The HELP Flight helicopter plans to make its landing around 1 p.m. each day. Weather, emergency calls and other factors affect the exact timing of the landing.
Entrance is free to the MATE with a ticket. Free tickets can be picked up at First Interstate Bank locations, MATE vendors, the NILE office, or printed off the MATE Show website.
This February will be the 40th year of the MATE, the largest Agriculture Trade Show in the region. Since 1976 the MATE has been held the third week of February. As a part of the MATE, the Home & Health Expo offers displays of products and services specifically related to health and the home. The three day event has had an attendance of over 14,000 people. Over 500 booths display trusted equipment and the latest technology for farming and ranching. The NILE (Northern International Livestock Exposition) purchased the MATE in 2008.
–The NILE
