SMDC Health System chooses Life Link III for air medical transport
November 5, 2009 by Howie · 1 Comment
Published First on the Web Locally, 10:14 a.m. Thursday
Following months of careful evaluation, Life Link III has been selected to take over air medical transport services for SMDC Health System. The Minneapolis-based organization will replace SMDC’s LifeFlight helicopter service effective January 4, 2010.
Life Link and its air transport partner, Air Methods Corp. were chosen based on the strength of their combined safety and quality programs, emphasis on having physicians supervise medical transport teams, and years of experience handling emergency medical transports in Minnesota, western Wisconsin and across the U.S.
“We are confident that Life Link III and Air Methods Corp. will continue to provide patients in the region with the same outstanding service they received from our in-house medical transport,” said Rocky Chapin, Executive Vice President of SMDC’s Hospital Division. “The decision to transfer LifeFlight to another organization has been a difficult decision for us, but one that is made easier knowing it will be transferred to capable and experienced hands.”
Life Link and Air Methods will not operate a helicopter base in Duluth. Instead, they will respond to calls from their bases in Hibbing and Rice Lake, WI. These bases are generally closer to the location of emergency calls, allowing them to reach patients faster than a helicopter traveling from Duluth. The helicopter pad adjacent to St. Mary’s Medical Center will be used to receive incoming patients.
The majority of SMDC’s LifeFlight medical transport staff will be offered positions at helicopter locations in Rice Lake, Hibbing and Anoka. Pilots and mechanics will be given the opportunity to work for Air Methods, while flight nurses and paramedics will be offered positions with Life Link III. Any additional staff members that are not offered positions will be eligible for severance or, if they belong to a union, may exercise their rights as outlined in their collective bargaining agreement.
SMDC becomes the ninth hospital/health system to join Life Link III, which operates as a non-profit consortium governed by its member organizations. SMDC will now have two seats on the consortium’s board.
Duluth-based St. Luke’s joined Life Link last year. Other Life Link III members include Allina Hospitals & Clinics, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, Hennepin County Medical Center, Regions Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital of Eau Claire, WI, and St. Cloud Hospital/CentraCare Health System.
SMDC’s decision to transfer its air transportation service to another owner was prompted by several factors, including the need to replace its existing helicopter, which would cost an estimated $6.5 million; competitive pressures from other air ambulance services; and additional resources needed to comply with increasingly stringent federal medical transport regulations.
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My daughter was born 6 weeks early on Oct 16, 2005 and rushed from Grand Rapids to St Mary’s NICU in Duluth on LifeFlight N911SM. Today, January 5th 2010, N911SM left the pod at St Mary’s for the last time. If it were not for N911SM, pilot Mike and flight medic Ed, my daughter probably would not have made it. She just turned 4 and is strong and healthy thanks to the wondeful people at SMDC both on the ground and in the air. I owe you big time. It is a very emotional day for me, and I’m sure for everyone else who have benefited from the services of N911SM LifeFlight. Long may she fly !!