Meriden — Hartford Hospital, The William W. Backus Hospital and MidState Medical Center in Meriden on Thursday announced plans to build a third home for Life Star emergency helicopter.

The new hangar will be built at MidState Medical Center, where the aircraft will be stationed beginning Friday, Hartford HealthCare, the parent of the three hospitals, said in a news release.

The move will enable Life Star to reach a wider patient geography and bring the patient to the most appropriate clinical setting, often Hartford Hospital’s level 1 trauma center, Hartford HealthCare said.

Currently, there are Life Star hangars on the roof of Hartford Hospital and at Backus.

Hartford Hospital recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Life Star program. Since its launch in 1985, it has transported more than 30,000 people and saved thousands of lives, Hartford HealthCare said. In June, crews began carrying blood products so that the teams could offer life-saving blood transfusions when necessary.