New STARS helipad opens near Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital

Paramedics will have an easier time transporting airlifted patients to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, with the opening of a new heliport this week near Innovation Place.

"This new pad will significantly improve service for patients getting to RUH," said Rod MacKenzie, director of rural integration for Saskatoon Health Region in a newsletter.

"The patients that STARS care for are usually critically injured or ill and require time-sensitive medical interventions."

Before this, medical helicopters had to land near the junction of Highways 5 and 41, on the eastern outskirts of the city, where they were met by a road ambulance.

The new site is much closer to the hospital, saving a significant amount of transportation time.

The helipad will be in place until the new Children's Hospital of Saskatchewan opens in late 2019. It is expected to have a helipad on its roof.