VA Medical Center Long Beach Heliport

The specific official reason for the closure has not been publicly released. However, the decommissioning of a private hospital heliport like this is typically due to one or more of the following factors:
1. **High Maintenance and Compliance Costs:** Maintaining a rooftop helipad to meet stringent FAA safety and structural standards is expensive. The cost may have been deemed prohibitive relative to its frequency of use.
2. **Changes in EMS Protocols:** Regional emergency medical transport strategies may have shifted, directing air ambulances to larger, designated Level I or Level II trauma centers with more comprehensive emergency facilities, such as the nearby Long Beach Memorial Medical Center.
3. **Facility Obsolescence:** The heliport was located on an older parking structure. It may not have met the structural requirements for newer, heavier MEDEVAC helicopters or updated regulatory codes without significant and costly upgrades.

The site of the former heliport is now used as a standard parking area. It is the top level of the parking structure at the VA Medical Center. While faint paint markings of the helipad 'H' may still be visible on the surface in satellite views, the area is fully integrated into the parking lot for use by vehicles. It is no longer certified or equipped for any aviation operations.

The VA Medical Center Long Beach Heliport was a private-use heliport located on the rooftop of a parking structure (Building 150) on the campus of the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. Its sole purpose was to support medical operations for the hospital. It handled MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) flights, allowing for the rapid air transport of critically ill or injured veterans. This capability was crucial for transferring patients to or from other specialized facilities and for receiving patients from emergency scenes in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening this heliport. Given the likely reasons for its closure (cost, redundancy, and aging infrastructure) and the proximity of other well-equipped hospitals with active heliports, it is highly improbable that this specific facility will be reactivated. Any future air transport needs for the VA Medical Center would likely require the construction of a new, modern helipad at a different location on campus, which would be a major capital project with no current indication of being planned.