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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Life Link III Expands Operations With Planned Rush City, Minnesota, Helicopter Hub

05/01/2020
Life Link III plans to expand operations with the opening of an air medical helicopter base, 58.3 miles north of Minneapolis-St Paul, in Rush City, Minnesota.

The new base will be located at the Rush City, Minnesota, Airport in partnership with Lakes Region EMS, and provides needed critical care resources to this region, including central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Life Link III’s medically-configured helicopters and airplanes serve as flying intensive care units and feature advanced clinical capabilities on-board each aircraft including point-of-care laboratory testing, point-of-care ultrasound, and LUCAS mechanical CPR. Life Link III works in partnership with local hospitals and public safety agencies to transport patients from accident scenes and from local hospitals to those that can provide specific expertise or higher level of care.

“In order to provide patients with the best chance of survival, it is necessary that they have access to critical care no matter where they live,” said Steve Sterner, CEO. “By placing a new helicopter base in Rush City, we are ensuring that our communities will have an air medical resource available in the event transport to a higher level of care is required.” Both the completion of the Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate and upcoming new base in Rush City will provide additional employment opportunities within Life Link III. With the creation of new clinical, aviation, and maintenance positions, Life Link III will continue to support the communities they serve in alignment with their mission and values.

According to company officials the Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate to the firm The initiative is moving forward in support of Life Link III’s hospital member-owners to ensure adequate air medical coverage is available to residents throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Midwest.

The completion of the Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate is the result of a lengthy and thorough multi-year effort completed by Life Link III, company officials explained. This process includes the preparation of extensive documentation and program development, inspection of all aircraft and facilities, and training of aviation team members who will be operating under Life Link III’s new Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate.

“Having our own Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate eliminates the need to contract our aviation services through a third-party vendor,” says Lee McCammon, Vice President of Operations. “We now operate under our own Part 135 Certificate as one organization and team, unified by our mission of safe and effective air medical transport and reinforcing our unwavering commitment to safety.”

Life Link III operates eight helicopter bases that include Alexandria, Blaine, Brainerd, Duluth, Hibbing, and Willmar, Minnesota, and Marshfield and Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The company’s helicopter and airplane services provide on-scene emergency response and inter-facility transport for patients requiring critical care.

Life Link III’s transportation services are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transportation Systems, ensuring the highest standards of quality and safety are met. Life Link III is a non-profit consortium made up of the following member-owner organizations: Allina Health, CentraCare Health, Children’s Minnesota, Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, Regions Hospital/HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, Marshfield Clinic Health System, St. Luke’s, and HSHS Sacred Heart/St. Joseph’s.

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