An air ambulance coming to southwest Iowa will also serve northwest Missouri when the program starts in September.

A LifeNet helicopter will be based at the new Clarinda Regional Health Center and will serve a 40 mile radius including the Missouri towns of Rock Pork, Marville and Mound City.  It will overlap services already provided from St Joseph.

Clarinda Regional Heath Center in southwest Iowa, along with Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and Air Methods LifeNet made the joint announcement Thursday.

It will transport patients to hospitals in Des Moines, Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska and St. Joseph, Mo.

“From our perspective, a Clarinda-based flight program is a win-win for patients and for area hospitals who already utilize our services,” state Air Methods’ Senior Vice President, Ed Rupert said.  “Clarinda is geographically located between Omaha, Des Moines and St. Joseph, Mo, so from a flight time scenario we felt there was an opportunity to serve this region better.”

The air ambulance will operate 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week.  Mercy-Des Moines will staff the air ambulance’s medical crew, and will be hiring 11 new flight paramedics and flight nurses who will be based in Clarinda.  Air methods will hire four pilots and a mechanic to operate this new service.

 

Clarinda is roughly 70 miles from St Joseph on US Highway 71 in southwest Iowa.