Rzeszów hospital opens Poland's first Black Hawk-ready helipad

The Clinical Provincial Hospital in Rzeszów has opened a new elevated helipad, the first of its kind in Poland designed to accommodate heavy military helicopters, including Black Hawks. Located 28 meters above ground on a ten-story building, the facility can support aircraft weighing up to 11.5 tons, serving both the Medical Air Rescue (LPR) and the Polish Armed Forces as well as NATO allies.

The investment, costing approximately 80 million PLN, includes a direct connection to the Hospital Emergency Department and Trauma Center via a specialized gallery and communication shafts with elevators to expedite patient transport. Additionally, an eight-level parking structure with 480 spaces was constructed beneath the helipad to address long-standing parking shortages at the facility.

Less than five hours after its official opening, the helipad was immediately utilized for a real-world emergency operation. An LPR helicopter, codenamed ‘Ratownik 10’, landed to transport a patient requiring urgent medical assistance, demonstrating the facility's immediate utility in improving regional emergency response times.