Santa coming by helicopter to the University of Chicago Children's Hospital December 22

December 21, 2000

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus will come by medical helicopter to visit patients and distribute gifts to children who will spend their Christmas at the University of Chicago Children's Hospital.

The University of Chicago Hospitals Aeromedical Network (UCAN) helicopter will bring senior members of the Claus family from their arctic workshop to the helipad on top of the University of Chicago's Mitchell Hospital, 5815 S. Maryland Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Claus will greet children at the helipad. They will then proceed to the playroom for a holiday celebration, distributing gifts to each patient.

When not transporting Santa, the UCAN medical helicopter--a state-of-the-art Aerospatiale Dauphin II--provides emergency medical service within a 200 mile radius of the Medical Center. Since the beginning of the program in 1983, the transport team--comprised of emergency-care physicians and specially trained flight nurses--has flown more than 15,000 patients to area hospitals.

Weather permitting, UCAN is scheduled to land on the helipad at 10:30 am, Friday, December 22, 2000. In order to film the arrival, media should be at the Hospitals by 10:15 a.m.

Come to the Mitchell Hospital entrance, 5815 S. Maryland Avenue.