Mountain View Rgnl Med Ctr Heliport

The heliport was closed as a direct consequence of the hospital's closure. The parent company, Ballad Health, shut down the Mountain View Regional Medical Center for economic reasons, citing financial unsustainability, low patient volumes, and a strategic decision to consolidate services with the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

The heliport is defunct and non-operational. The physical helipad, located on the roof of the former hospital building, is abandoned. In 2023, the entire property was acquired by the City of Norton. The city is actively pursuing redevelopment plans for the site, which include the potential demolition of the vacant hospital building to make way for new municipal, commercial, or residential projects.

The heliport was a vital piece of critical care infrastructure for the rural and mountainous region of Wise County and Southwest Virginia. Its sole purpose was to support the hospital's emergency medical services. It functioned as a primary landing zone for various air ambulance services (medevac helicopters) transporting patients with life-threatening conditions such as major trauma, cardiac emergencies, and strokes. The heliport enabled rapid patient transport to the hospital's emergency department and facilitated critical transfers to larger, more specialized medical centers, significantly reducing travel time in a region with challenging terrain.

There are no plans or prospects for reopening the heliport. Its function was inextricably linked to the hospital, which is now permanently closed with its services consolidated elsewhere. The planned redevelopment of the site for non-medical purposes effectively eliminates any possibility of the heliport being reactivated.