North Village residents in Westwood have expressed concerns over the noise from emergency helicopters flying to and from the new Ronald Reagan hospital, leading to a meeting ““ planned for tonight ““ regarding the noise.
Some of the residents have created a Internet blog to log the noise complaints and to keep each other informed about the noise pollution.
Others have e-mailed and attempted contacting city officials regarding the noise.
And tonight at 6 p.m., a meeting will be held at the Ronald Reagan Hospital to discuss alternatives to the current flight plans being used by UCLA hospital helicopters.
“There are new flight patterns for the emergency helicopters and the noise is very difficult and very loud, especially for those individuals who live just west of Gayley Avenue,” said Roxane Stern, a North Village resident who lives on Strathmore Avenue.
“We understand that you can’t regulate emergencies, but we think there must be a better way to regulate and approach the hospital,” Stern said.
North Village residents are not asking for the flying to stop, because they realize the importance of emergency transportation, Stern said.
“We do not want to stop the emergency flights,” Stern said in an e-mail statement to several North Village residents. “The life-saving transport of patients and transplants to and from UCLA is critical. All of us support the hospital in this cause.”
But they are asking the helicopters to fly using the original flight plan set by UCLA hospital, she said.
Residents have expressed concern that helicopters are not flying in the paths established before the hospital was built, and that more flights have been recorded than ever before.
Ronald Reagan Hospital has decided to address the concerns, agreeing to host the meeting at the hospital, Stern said.
“The relocation of the Reagan UCLA Medical Center to the west side of the campus has also necessitated a change in the helicopter landing area,” said Roxanne Moster, a UCLA hospital spokeswoman, in a statement.
“We arranged for this meeting with our neighbors to hear their concerns so that we could have a frank and honest discussion about noise from helicopters landing at the hospital.”
The meeting, Stern said, will allow all parties to address the issue and come to a solution that will improve upon the volume of the noise.
“I appreciate what the hospital does and I’ve chosen to live here, but I don’t want to be subjected to something that is less for the community,” said Sina Bolour, another North Village resident who hopes to attend the meeting this Thursday. “There needs to be a balance.”
Bolour said Westwood residents support the UCLA Medical Center and its reputation as a world-class hospital, but the noise is affecting his family’s quality of life.
“It really shakes our roofs,” he said. “UCLA needs to be responsible and tell the pilots to follow the correct flight paths.”
Bolour is one of the North Village residents who helped to create the blog regarding the issue. A new parent, he said having peace in his home is important.
“The stand we thought we would take is: The city allowed UCLA to build the hospital, so the city has an obligation to its residents.”