EATON – Kettering Health Network and MedFlight are celebrating the completion of the MedFlight 8 permanent medical helicopter and base at the Preble County Medical Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 4:30 p.m.

The Preble County Medical Center is located at 450 Washington-Jackson Road in Eaton.

Kettering Health Network and MedFlight also will host a Community Open House and Family Fun Cookout following the ribbon-cutting ceremony from 5:30-7 p.m. Kids of all ages can explore emergency vehicles including a MedFlight helicopter, a fire truck and an ambulance. The Community Outreach team is providing a Health Fair that includes wellness tips and the Wheel of Health. A balloon artist, face painting and other entertainment will be provided.

The open house and cookout are free to the public. For more information, visit ketteringhealth.org/emergency.

The MedFlight 8 Base includes a hangar and crew living quarters. The base is staffed by pilots, mechanics, and critical care nurses and paramedics. Since February 2017 the MedFlight helicopter crew has been temporarily based inside the Preble Emergency Center 24-hours a day, while the new base was under construction.

The addition of MedFlight 8 allows Kettering Health Network to provide comprehensive air and ground coverage for residents in the network’s service area.

Kettering Health Network’s partnership with MedFlight began in 2013, when MedFlight placed a medical helicopter base nearby in Fayette County, serving Kettering Health Network and other partnering health systems and communities to the east of the greater Dayton area, including Fayette and Clinton counties.

MedFlight provides critical care transportation of patients between Kettering Health Network hospitals and other hospitals as necessary. It also responds to accident scenes and transports patients to the most appropriate hospital for critical care.