In partnership with Cookeville Regional Medical Center (CRMC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Vanderbilt LifeFlight will soon be expanding its footprint to serve the Upper Cumberland region by adding an emergency helicopter base in Cookeville.

Paul Korth, chief executive officer for CRMC, said the addition of the helicopter is a “win-win” for everyone. “Our partnership with Vanderbilt continues to grow since we affiliated with them four years ago,” Korth said. “We affiliated so that we could expand access to health services and resources for our region, and this project is just another example of how our facilities can work together for the benefit of the Upper Cumberland. It’s a win-win for Vanderbilt, CRMC and our patients.”

CRMC serves the 14-county Upper Cumberland region with services including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular/thoracic surgery, robotic surgery, neurosurgery, critical care and complex cancer treatment. The helicopter will have a 120-mile response area from Cookeville, and it will transport patients who require advanced medical and surgical care from pre-hospital scenes and hospitals in the region back to CRMC.

A site for the new base, which is expected to open this summer, will be announced at a later date.
Since 1984 Vanderbilt LifeFlight, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Trauma Systems (CAMTS), has flown more than 38,000 patients. LifeFlight transports to any medically appropriate hospital and has immediate access to the region's only Level I Trauma Center, Burn Center and Children's Hospital, all at VUMC.