Reprint of an article appearing in the June 16, 2005 New Richmond News
A Need for Speed
Life Link III moves base to New Richmond Airport
By Jeff Holmquist
Managing Editor
Emergency health care is all about speed.
For critically injured people in western Wisconsin, care will be coming a little quicker thanks to Life Link III's decision to open a medical helicopter base at the New Richmond Airport.
Life Link crews began operating out of a new hangar at the airport Thursday. An emergency crew (consisting of a pilot, nurse and paramedic) is on call at the airport 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"It is Life Link III's continuing goal to provide the best possible service to our patients," said Life Link III's director of flight operations. "The best way we can do that is by reaching the patients as quickly as possible. This cuts life-saving minutes."
Life Link officials claim patients needing emergency care in western Wisconsin will see the helicopter arrive 20 to 30 minutes faster now, thanks to the new base in New Richmond.
The helicopter was previously based at the St. Paul airport.
"It makes a lot of sense for us to be out in this area," said Diane Yoch, a nurse who works on one of the helicopter crews. "A lot of our calls are out this way. Now we won't have to fly out and then fly back to the Cities."
Yoch said the helicopter crew's goal is to be in the air 10 minutes after being dispatched. The crew is speeding to their pick-up point within five minutes of most dispatches.
Life Link transports patients from Holy Family Hospital, and other facilities in the region, on a regular basis. Most of the patients end up at critical care facilities in the Twin Cities.
The helicopter also lands near accident scenes, further cutting down on the transportation time of victims.
Because patients transported by helicopter are the most severely injured, the director of flight operations said, it is important to get them to the critical care facilities as soon as possible.
Life Link employs over 200 people for its Minnesota and western Wisconsin operations. They have additional helicopter bases in St. Cloud and Hutchinson, Minn. The company has a ground ambulance based in Milltown, Wis. and several Twin Cities locations.
Life Link has three medical helicopters, which make about 1,200 emergency runs per year or about an average of 100 per month.
The coverage area for the Life Link helicopter is 75 to 100 miles from New Richmond, according to Kristin Brand, Life Link spokesperson.
Nurse Diane Yoch said crews often see three runs in any given 12-hour shift, but at times there will be no calls at all.
"It's a lot life an emergency room," she said. "It's all or nothing, feast or famine."
The on-call crew at the New Richmond Airport is temporarily housed in a trailer next to the Life Link hangar. Inside there is a television and small kitchen, for use during periods of down time.
Sleeping arrangements are a little cramped for the time being, but crew members are able to grab a nap on occasion.
The pilot's quarters are equipped with a continuous weather computer, so the helicopter pilot can stay abreast of storms.
Nurses and paramedics who serve on the crew receive special training in being part of the critical care team. They also tend to be professionals with several years of experience, Yoch said.
The pilots themselves do not have any medical expertise.
Life Link III is a non-profit organization owned by a consortium of health care organizations, including Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, Fairview Health Services, Hennepin County Medical Center, Regions Hospital and St. Cloud Hospital/CentraCare Health System.