Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital Heliport

The heliport was closed due to the planned relocation and replacement of the hospital it served. The aging Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital was replaced by the new, state-of-the-art North Alabama Medical Center (NAMC) at a different location in Florence. The closure was part of a strategic healthcare consolidation and modernization project for the region, not due to any economic, safety, or operational failure of the heliport itself.

The site is no longer a heliport. The entire Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital complex, including the building and the heliport landing pad, was completely demolished between late 2020 and 2021. The location at 205 Marengo Street is now a large, cleared, vacant lot. The City of Florence is actively working with developers on plans to redevelop the 23-acre site, with proposals focused on mixed-use residential and commercial projects.

The Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital Heliport was a vital component of the emergency medical system for Florence and the greater Shoals region of northwest Alabama. Its sole purpose was to facilitate medical air transport. The heliport handled medevac flights, allowing helicopters to rapidly bring critically injured patients from accident scenes or transfer patients from smaller, regional facilities to the hospital's emergency department and Level III Trauma Center. For many years, it played a crucial role in reducing transport times for time-sensitive medical emergencies, directly contributing to improved patient outcomes.

There are zero prospects for reopening this heliport. The physical infrastructure has been permanently removed, and the hospital it was built to serve has been demolished. All regional hospital-based helicopter operations are now handled by the modern heliport at the new North Alabama Medical Center (FAA Identifier: 5AL9), which serves as the replacement facility.