NJ's Northstar Medevac to move

[x635 4,066]

They have a really good pad on the roof of University now. "The Penthouse". About the only vantage point, about 8-10 stories up, that actually makes Newark look nice!!

Hostilities high over plans for medevac unit

Somerset Airport will seek permission to build permanent facility to house rescue unit.

 

By STEFANIE MATTESON

Staff Writer

BEDMINSTER -- The ratcheting up of hostilities over the relocation of the state police's NorthSTAR medevac helicopter from University Hospital in Newark to Somerset Airport in recent weeks is possibly only a prelude to what will take place this fall when the airport seeks township permission to build a permanent facility to house the medevac unit.

The relocation has been opposed by a citizens group, the Bedminster, Branchburg, Bridgewater Concerned Citizens Coalition (BBBCCC), which maintains the medevac negatively affects the quality of life due to noise and environmental considerations. The group has filed two lawsuits challenging the medevac, which have yet to be settled.

In addition, acting anonymously, citizens opposed to the helicopter's relocation have recently launched a personal attack upon Terry Hoben, the medevac unit's air medical coordinator, by sending fliers to Hoben's neighbors in Bound Brook. The fliers label Hoben a liar.

Also, Township Committeeman Kurt Joerger, who opposes the medevac, has sought an ordinance that would limit the expansion of potential terrorist targets in the community. Though Joerger did not single out Somerset Airport as a terrorist target, medevac supporters see the proposed ordinance as an effort to limit airport operations.

Similarly, Robert Colatarci, a Republican write-in candidate for the Township Committee in the June primary who also opposes the medevac, has described the airport as a terrorist target in letters to the Courier News.

Joerger, whose residence, Lana Lobell Farm on Rattlesnake Bridge Road, is located near the airport, declined to comment, while Colatarci could not be reached.

The Township Committee has not acted on Joerger's proposal -- Township Administrator Susan Stanbury said a majority on the Township Committee viewed regulating business expansion as falling outside their jurisdiction -- but the proposed ordinance and the letter to Hoben's neighbors are an indication of just how strong feelings are running on the medevac issue.

"The level of acrimony is high and I don't think it's waned in the slightest; it may be less visible publicly (because there are fewer meetings during the summer), but behind the scenes it continues at a fevered pace," said attorney William G. Mennen IV, who represents the airport. Meanwhile, Hoben has reported that the medevac's service figures for July are among the highest in its history. The helicopter served 105 patients in July, proving -- in Hoben's view -- that the helicopter's relocation to Bedminster to better serve the population of Central Jersey was well-founded.

He discounted the assertions of Joerger and other opponents that the numbers are deliberately inflated -- that patients are being airlifted by helicopter who could just as well have traveled by ambulance -- to justify the medevac relocation.

"We don't call ourselves," he said. "The Central Jersey emergency responders call us. Now that they know we're close we're getting more calls."

The medevac transports victims of accidents and violence to trauma centers, saving lives by reducing response times, Hoben said.

The NorthSTAR helicopter, which serves the northern half of the state (its SouthSTAR counterpart serves the southern part of the state) relocated to Somerset Airport Feb. 4 to be closer to its clients, Hoben said. Many of its calls originate from the Interstate 78 and Interstate 287 corridors and state highways such as routes 22, 31, 202 and 206.

The demand for the medevac services in Central Jersey has increased with the growth in population, while the demand in the eastern counties has diminished with the increase in trauma centers there, Hoben said. More trauma centers mean that accident victims can usually get to a trauma center faster by ambulance than by helicopter, Hoben said.

The medevac's opponents, however, say the helicopter service moved to Bedminster to compete with private helicopters from Pennsylvania that serve patients in New Jersey.

The medevac is a joint venture of the state police, the state Department of Health and Senior Services and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. It is funded in part by a $1 surcharge on motor vehicle registration fees.

The Township Committee granted the airport a special-use permit in July 2004 for a temporary trailer to house the medevac offices, but then revoked the permit the following month. The airport sued the township and the special-use permit was restored in November by order of state Superior Court Justice Victor Ashrafi in Somerville.

The citizens' group opposing the medevac was also a party to that case.

A nine-month extension to the special-use permit was granted by the Township Committee in April 2005, which will expire on Feb. 28, 2006. Mennen said the airport would like to see a resolution of its proposed plans well in advance of that date.

The citizens' coalition has sued the airport, the township and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, charging the permit extension was invalid. The group has also sued the airport and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, charging the medevac's charter dictates that it be based at a hospital.

Livingston attorney Alan Harwick, a Bridgewater resident who represents the coalition, said both suits are moving through the legal system, though nothing has yet been resolved.

The airport's plans call for a permanent medevac office facility, including kitchen and bath facilities for the medevac crew, and a new hangar capable of accommodating two helicopters, Hoben said. One helicopter would be used for missions and the other would be kept ready as a spare, he said.

In the revised plans the asphalt apron has been scaled back by about 40 percent to accommodate concerns about lot coverage, airport owner Daniel Walker said. Planning Board members expressed concerns about lot coverage when the conceptual plans for the expansion were first presented last summer, Chairman Paul Henderson said.

In a related development, Hoben's neighbors within a three-block radius of his home received a letter mailed Aug. 2 that began, "Your neighbor, Terry Hoben, is a liar." Though the anonymous letter disavowed any affiliation with the Citizens Coalition, it asked for contributions to be sent to the BBBCCC at Harwick's Livingston office.

Harwick, who is on vacation, said via a spokesman, attorney Howard Teichman, that he did not send the letter, nor does he know who did. He said the Citizens' Coalition does not send anonymous letters.

"It was not sent on behalf of the BBBCCC," he said via Teichman.

The personal nature of the letter was condemned by Hoben and others associated with the airport, as well as by University Hospital.

"This is my job, my responsibility," Hoben said. "They'll do whatever it takes to prevent a life-saving program from being successful and that's disturbing."

"This was sent to the eight streets directly surrounding (Hoben's) residence in his home town of Bound Brook, which is not near the airport," hospital spokeswoman Claudie Benjamin said. "It was aggressively threatening, a very personal attack."

She described Hoben as "a hometown hero" who has been active in church and youth activities and who has been honored for his disaster and relief work at home, particularly during Hurricane Floyd, and for his humanitarian overseas relief work in Iran, in Iraq among Kurdish refugees and in the Rwanda genocide.

Hoben said the photo on the flier which purportedly showed the dozens of medevac employees who would be relocating to Bedminster was actually taken at a picnic for former patients whose lives had been saved by the medevac staged at Liberty State Park on the medevac's 10th anniversary in 1998 by the EMT staff at University Hospital.

"To use that moment in their lives in this matter is clearly desperate," he said.

As for Joerger's proposal to limit the expansion of businesses that are potential terrorist targets, township officials said the township had no jurisdiction over the activities of such businesses, which include telecommunications giant AT&T, whose global operations center is on Route 202-206 in Bedminster.

Though he declined to name potential terrorist targets in Bedminster for security reasons, Tom Bittle, deputy coordinator of Somerset County's Office of Emergency Management, said any number of businesses and institutions could be potential targets, including churches, schools, the town hall, even "a gas station at a busy intersection."

"I would ask the councilman what he would consider a terrorist target," Bittle said. Daniel Walker, the airport's owner, noted that the airport had not been designated as a terrorist target by anyone other than Joerger, while Mayor Amey Mesko said that she was saddened "that people have to fly the terrorist flag and get people's emotions incited to serve their own purposes."

AT&T spokesman Andy Backover said it would be premature for the company to comment on an ordinance that would attempt to limit its business activities until such an ordinance had been formally proposed.

[Guest WolfEMT]

There is talk that sometime in the future, although a definitive date is unknown at this time, the NJ State Police will discontinue medevac flights via NorthStar and SouthStar. In the State of NJ, medevac is free, the cost comes out of residents' property tax; however, the State realized that inter-facility transports are more profitable. This leaves not only the State in a bind, but also Westchester and Rockland since NorthStar is a mutual aid resource in those areas, as well. Rumor has it that each of the paramedic groups within the state will get helicopters, however, it is unknown at this time whether this issue will ever come to fruition.

[x635 4,066]

NJ State Police own and fly the helicopters. University Hospital (Newark-Northstar) and Atlantic Regional Healthcare (Atlantic City-Southstar) EMS provide the staffing and equipment.

Rumors are abound in the state as to the future of the program. I think the only thing that is for sure is there will be some significant operational changes, and new aircraft.

Edited August 13, 2005 by x635

[Guest WCDES636]

There is also a negative for us locally:

Every now and again when our own local (Statflight, LifeNet) are tied up, we have called Northstar in mutual aid. Unfortunately with there move to Somerset the average ETA goes from 11 to 22 minutes.

[Guest WolfEMT]

NJSP Medevac is a very reliable service and they are usually utilized quite often. There are 4 NJSP helicopters; 1 for NorthStar, 1 for SouthStar, 1 backup, and 1 is the Governor's chopper. Personally, I don't see the need for the Governor to have a chopper, espcially since the state is small in comparison to its neighbors, but that is another story for another day. I would much rather see them purchase 2 extra helicopters and have 2 NorthStars and 2 SouthStars, this way if the first due chopper is out at a job, then the second is available. For instance, if there were an MVA in Warren County, let's say, and Westchester needed NorthStar for MA, the chances of it getting the MA from NJ are slim. However, if there were a backup chopper, perhaps located at another place, like Teterboro, then the response time and overall availability would be better.

[Guest]

From NEW YORK TIMES :

August 14, 2005

Who Wouldn't Want a Life-Saving Service? Read On

By PETER APPLEBOME

Bedminster, N.J.

SOMETHING ominous has wormed its way into the green acres of horse farms and sprawling old-money estates in central New Jersey. Ads placed in local newspapers said it would mean septic systems that are close to rivers and wetlands being polluted with blood, pathogens and medical waste; noise and air pollution; reduced property values; and, perhaps most ominously, an "unwanted, unwarranted, unlawful invasion" of a 50-employee business "relocated from the heart of Newark's commercial district."

Asbestos plant? Toxic waste dump? Nuclear fuel processing plant? Well, not exactly. It's the relocation of a New Jersey Medevac helicopter from the roof of University Hospital in Newark to rural Somerset Airport, the better to reach accident victims in central and western New Jersey. Medevac operations began at Somerset in February.

It's possible that there are good reasons to rethink New Jersey's state-sponsored emergency helicopter service, which operates from two locations to rush accident victims to trauma centers. But it's more possible, as with countless issues in countless communities, that saving lives is well and good as long as the helicopters take off from someone else's town and fly over someone else's neighborhoods. Even the critics of the flights sometimes say as much.

So Don Cross, Bedminster's deputy mayor and its former mayor, says there really are much better locations for the service, but good luck finding a community that wants it. "I think it needs to be moved up a bit, like Solberg Airport in Hunterdon County, but they've got these Nimbys all over these towns. You know, not in my backyard, the noise is ruining my life, my kids can't sleep."

But isn't Nimby at play in Bedminster, too?

"Oh, absolutely," he said. "My phone number is listed. I get to hear it all the time."

New Jersey's Northstar Medevac program (there's a Southstar for South Jersey) has operated for 17 years, and in Newark since 1990. But over that time the increase in trauma centers in the state - to 10 from 2, mostly in the north and east - made the Newark location increasingly problematic. In Bergen, Essex and Hudson Counties, ambulances could often get people to trauma centers as quickly as helicopters could. Meanwhile, emergency officials in the fast-growing western and central parts of the state, along some of the state's busiest highways, said the Medevac response time and coverage needed improvement.

Given that, Terry Hoben, the program's air medical coordinator, conducted a study focused on four possible new homes for the service, Somerset Airport, Picatinny Arsenal near Dover, Solberg Airport in Readington Township and Central Jersey Regional Airport in Manville. He found that Somerset made the most sense in terms of response time, cost, stability and the airport's desire for the service and other factors. So he worked out a deal, got the support of state officials and local emergency personnel and won approval from a town board.

"They said, 'Welcome, fly safe and we're looking forward to working with you,' " Mr. Hoben recalled.

At the least, he was probably guilty of political naïveté. Especially in affluent areas like this one, there's nothing as contentious as local airports, relics from earlier eras of less development and pre-Nimby politics. And before long, there was organized opposition here and in towns nearby with incendiary ads, active letter-writing campaigns and a busy Web site. Mr. Hoben and his neighbors in Bound Brook, which is nowhere near the airport, recently received fliers at their homes that said, "Your neighbor Terry Hoben is a liar in our opinion."

Alan L. Harwick, the president of the opposition group cited in the fliers, Bedminster, Branchburg, Bridgewater Concerned Citizens Coalition, said the group had nothing to do with the mailing, and that he was "outraged and upset" by it.

Criticisms vary: that Northstar's permit at the airport violated zoning codes, that the helicopters were too noisy, that the service would lead to a spiral of development at the airport and that the area was already well served by commercial services over the state line in Pennsylvania. That service, however, usually bills patients $5,000 to $10,000 per rescue, while the New Jersey service costs residents $1,337.

Mr. Hoben said the service transported 105 patients in July, far more than in the same month in previous years. Depending on your view, that could mean either that it belongs at Somerset and is meeting a demand or that it's flying more often than people expected and should be located elsewhere.

By the end of last week, Kurt Joerger, a prominent opponent and township committee member, said he was quitting the board because he had been threatened over the issue by a late-night intruder at his home. Then he changed his mind and said he was staying on after all. Lawsuits have been filed with perhaps more coming, and, as these scripts call for, the courts will probably determine whether Northstar stays or goes.

"We're the most litigious society in the history of the world," Mr. Cross said. "You got the money to sue, you sue and keep suing until they cave in."