B737 CREW DEPARTING RWY 23L AT RDU HAS TCAS RA WITH HELICOPTER AT 1200 FEET AGL.

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WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 23L AT RDU; AND TOLD TO FLY RWY HDG; CLB AND MAINTAIN 7000 FT. SOON AFTER LIFTOFF (UNDER 1000 FT); THE TWR TOLD US OF TFC AT 11 O'CLOCK POS. WE CALLED THE TFC IN SIGHT; SO THE TWR TOLD US TO CONTINUE OUR CLB TO 7000 FT MAINTAINING A VISUAL WITH THE TFC. THIS TFC TARGET WAS STEADY IN OUR WINDSHIELD (NO L OR R MOVEMENT) SO A R TURN SEEMED IN ORDER. I BANKED THE ACFT R; TURNING 30 DEGS WITH 25 DEGS OF BANK. AT THIS POINT WE WERE 1700 FT MSL (1200 FT AGL) WITH FLAPS RETRACTING TO 1 DEG AND CLB THRUST SET. IN ORDER TO MISS THE TFC WE HAD TO STOP OUR CLB IMMEDIATELY; SO I REDUCED PWR TO ALMOST IDLE AS I LOWERED THE NOSE. DURING THIS TIME; WE RECEIVED A TCAS RA; 'REDUCE CLB; REDUCE CLB;' FOLLOWED BY; 'DSND; DSND; DSND.' OUR TOP OF CLB WAS 2400 FT MSL BEFORE OUR DSCNT TO 2000 FT MSL (1600 FT AGL) TO STAY UNDER TFC. THE TFC WAS A VFR HELI NOT ON THE TWR FREQ; BUT TALKING TO APCH CTL. AFTER LNDG; I SPOKE WITH A MAN FROM QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR THE RDU TWR AND HE EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN AND DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE EVENT. HE SAID HE VIEWED THE RADAR TAPE AFTER HE RETURNED FROM LUNCH AND STATED; 'I ALMOST BECAME NAUSEOUS AFTER WATCHING IT.' HE SAID IT WAS AN EMER MEDICAL HELI THAT HAD JUST PICKED UP AN ACCIDENT VICTIM AND USUALLY GOES OVER THE TOP OF THE ARPT; BUT TODAY APCH DECIDED TO LET HIM GO ACROSS THE DEP END OF RDU'S RWYS. HE SAID APCH HAD CALLED TO ADVISE THEM OF THIS. THIS DEP WAS VERY UPSETTING TO ME AND MY CREW. WHEN I CALLED THE FLT ATTENDANTS FOR THEIR REACTION; THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY THOUGHT WE HAD LOST PWR TO BOTH ENGS. BASED ON WHAT I KNOW AT THIS TIME; OUR ACFT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CLRED FOR TKOF.