MCALLEN – The only medical aircraft in the Rio Grande Valley has a new home.

The Air Med chopper is now housed right next door to the McAllen Medical Center. A previous medical chopper based in Harlingen.

The aircraft has been in use since June.

South Texas Air Med flight director Louis Corbeil says because the Valley is so spread out, time is of the essence in an emergency.

“Starr County. It takes anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour to get a patient here; and the traffic, you know, there's always construction going on and so definitely we need an aircraft in the area,” said Corbeil.

Corbeil says the goal is to get a patient to the hospital within an hour.

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