Laurelhurst community agrees to ‘fully support’ Seattle Children’s helicopter landing efforts
May 8, 2026, 9:05 AM | Updated: 12:38 pm
The Laurelhurst Community Council (LCC) has agreed to “fully support” Seattle Children’s as it seeks city approval to end the Medical Review Committee for helicopter landings, according to a joint statement released Friday morning.
The statement follows last week’s, since-deleted X post from a person claiming to be a life flight pilot, detailing a specific example of a policy that non-critical patients transported via helicopter to Seattle Children’s have to stop a mile down the road at a helipad behind the driving range on the UW campus, and be taken the rest of the way, about a mile drive, to Seattle Children’s.
The policy was borne out of a 1992 agreement between the hospital, the City of Seattle, and the Laurelhurst neighborhood bordering the hospital.
Last Friday, Seattle Children’s sent the following statement:
Every second counts when a child needs lifesaving care, and Seattle Children’s will always put the health and safety of our patients first. Most members of the Laurelhurst community are supportive and grateful for the services and care Children’s has delivered for decades. However, ongoing efforts by some to restrict helipad access put an unnecessary burden on the system. For context, Children’s receives three or fewer helicopter transports per week, and nearly all are admitted to an intensive care unit. We are eager to revisit the voluntary agreement Children’s has been operating under and welcome the support of community members or city leaders who would like to join the conversation
— Seattle Children’s spokesperson
A week later, on Friday, May 8, Seattle Children’s Hospital confirmed that “a meeting to discuss a path forward” resulted in LCC’s support of the hospital as it seeks city approval to end the Medical Review Committee for helicopter landings.
The decision also follows online pressure towards the Laurelhurst community.
In the release, Seattle Children’s thanked community members for the “outpouring of support,” adding that they are looking forward to future collaboration with the LCC, the City of Seattle, and community members.
“Children’s has served children and families for over 117 years and has the clinical and operational expertise to ensure patients receive the best possible care when seconds matter,” read the statement.
The release also included a statement from Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, saying, “I am grateful that there is a path forward to prioritize the needs of critically ill and acutely injured children. This is the kind of solutions-focused partnership our city needs more of.”
‘I never get calls when social services are cut’: Gee calls out Laurelhurst for forcing Seattle Children’s helicopters to land mile away
Seattle Children’s previously said it wanted to revisit a decades-old policy that requires some medical helicopters to land at the University of Washington, about a mile away, and transport patients the rest of the way by ambulance, according to KIRO 7. The policy is a concession to noise concerns from the wealthy Laurelhurst neighborhood on Lake Washington.
KIRO host Gee Scott said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio that the Laurelhurst fight struck a nerve.
“One of the things that really stands out to me is when I see people with a lot of money, or a lot of power, or influence — it’s the things that they fight for and the things that I don’t see them fight for,” he said.
Gee said he wished wealthy people showed the same energy for struggling families as they do for helicopter noise.
“I wish people with a lot of money and influence fought this hard … like I never heard from anybody when SNAP benefits were going away from people,” he said. “I never heard from anybody when people are struggling with child care and struggling, barely being able to stay in their houses. I never get calls from anybody when social services are being cut. My point is, I’m looking forward to whole neighborhoods using their influence on something else instead of, ‘Don’t do that in my neighborhood.’ That’s what stands out to me.”
Laurelhurst says it’s open to meeting
The debate resurfaced after a person, claiming to be a life flight pilot, posted on X that Sunday morning was only the second time in 50 transports they had been allowed to land at Seattle Children’s, according to KIRO 7.
A Seattle Children’s spokesperson told the media outlet it is looking forward to revisiting the policy with the Laurelhurst community. Meanwhile, Laurelhurst Community Council President Colleen McAleer told KIRO 7 the group is open to meeting.
Contributing: KIRO Newsradio
