Life Link III plans to open a new air medical base in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The new base, which marks the company's tenth air medical base throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, is scheduled to begin 24/7 operations starting in spring 2021. This base will be located at the Rhinelander-Oneida County airport, which allows the company to support the growing needs of this area and Life Link III's consortium member-owners.

As one of the largest hospital-based nonprofit consortium programmes in the United States with ten member-owners, Life Link III has a 35-year history of dedication to improving patient care and transport safety. Its medically-configured helicopters and fixed wing aircraft serve as flying intensive care units (ICUs) and feature advanced clinical capabilities on-board each aircraft including point-of-care laboratory testing, ultrasound, and LUCAS mechanical CPR. Whole blood is also carried onboard every flight.

“Our new base in Rhinelander, Wisconsin will bring much-needed air medical resources to this region and surrounding communities,” says Lee McCammon, VP of operations. “Currently, the closest air medical resource for this area is almost 40 minutes away, which can have a significant impact on injured or critically-ill patients needing to be transported to a higher level of care. Rhinelander is an ideal location for our new base as it allows us to serve both the needs of northern Wisconsin as well as support our Life Link III consortium members, who include Marshfield Clinic Health System and HSHS Sacred Heart/St. Joseph's.”

“This is welcome news for our patients in the Northwoods. Having a Life Link III base in close proximity to our hospitals in Park Falls and Minocqua strengthens our ability to meet the air transport needs of our critically ill patients across the region,” adds Dr. Susan Turney, Marshfield Clinic Health System CEO. “It also offers our patients and their families reassurance that their care needs will be met as timely and efficiently as possible.”

Life Link III provides helicopter and airplane services for rapid on-scene emergency response and inter-facility transport for patients requiring critical care. The company 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 support this new base, Life Link III looks forward to bringing 16 new employment opportunities to this region.