The Health Care District of Florida's Palm Beach County has accepted delivery of the first of two Leonardo AW169 helicopters for its Trauma Hawk medevac program. The helicopters will replace the pair of Sikorsky S-76C+s that have served the program since 1999.

Pilots and maintainers are training on the first new helicopter in anticipation of service entry early next year. The second AW169 is expected to be delivered later this month.

"The Health Care District’s aeromedical program has been a key component of Palm Beach County’s integrated trauma system for more than 30 years,” said Dr. Kenneth A. Scheppke, medical director of the Health Care District’s aeromedical and ground transportation programs and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue. “These new, technologically advanced aircraft will play a key role in EMS response by providing critically ill and injured patients access to safe and rapid air transport in a county with a land area larger than the state of Rhode Island.” The county is home to two Level 1 trauma centers.

Its AW169s are equipped with a longitudinal roll-on stretcher system that eliminates the need to transfer patients onto hospital stretchers at the helipad. Other equipment includes night-vision goggles and advanced avionics. Typical crews include an instrument-rated commercial pilot and two medical personnel. The district employs its own aviation technicians and support staff.