Cherokee, IOWA (KTIV) -
A new life-saving tool is coming to northwest Iowa.
The Cherokee Regional Medical Center is getting its own air ambulance. When it's a life-or-death situation, every minute counts. That's why officials at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center are so excited to land their own air ambulance service.
"For the people that we serve, it should give them another comfort that we are staying with the times, staying current and one step above to better serve their health care needs," said John Comstock, CRMC President/CEO.
Through a partnership with Air Methods of Colorado, the Cherokee hospital will be the base for a medical chopper from LifeNet. They're the company that provides air ambulance service in Norfolk, Nebraska. The chopper will serve a 100 mile radius around Cherokee.
Patti Klein, Air Methods Regional Vice President said, "The aircraft doesn't have to fly here and lose that critical time to get to the patient. We're closer to the patient. We can begin stabilization and transport and get them into tertiary care significantly faster."
The helicopter carries four people: the pilot, a paramedic, a flight nurse and the patient. When there's an emergency, the chopper can respond, bringing patients back to Cherokee, over to Sioux City or up to Sioux Falls.
Lyle Butler, Air Methods Field Operations Manager said, "The perfect example that I can think of are your trauma patients, someone from a car accident or a fall, where they need to get to a neurosurgeon quickly. It's maybe a service that's not available here. We can rapidly transport that patient either from the scene of an accident or to or from the hospital to wherever the receiving facility is that the physician is set up."
Air ambulances have been around for years in Iowa's larger cities, but this is believed to be the first in a community the size of Cherokee. The Center plans to start using the chopper by August 1st.
The LifeNet operation will be supported round-the-clock by a full crew, including pilots, paramedics and maintenance.
