St. John’s Life Line celebrates 25^th Anniversary

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St. John’s Life Line crews and philanthropist John Q. Hammons will be recognized this evening at an event celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the region’s oldest and most accident-free air ambulance service.

First named Hammons Life Line after Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons donated money to buy the first helicopter, Life Line took flight July 1, 1984.

“Mr. Hammons’ generosity of funding that first helicopter forever changed and improved our ability to quickly respond and treat patients. And it without a doubt, allowed us to save a countless number of lives,” explained Dr. Charles Sheppard, emergency medicine physician and Life Line medical director.

Dispatched from bases in St. Robert, Bolivar and Branson West, Life Line helicopters airlift patients from hospitals, crash scenes or homes, providing life-saving care on board. They transport them to a facility of their choice offering the appropriate services.

In the 25-year history, Life Line has responded to more than 40,000 requests and transported more than 25,5000 patients.

By basing air ambulances in rural communities, we are able to decrease response times to the more remote locations that need our services. “A shorter trip to these areas increases our ability to save lives and have early access to patients in need,” Sheppard said.

The flight crew has 95 highly trained and experienced pilots, registered nurses, paramedics and communication specialists trained in rapid air medical transport.

“The flight nurses and paramedics are partners and make patient-care decisions together. Safety is paramount to everything we do,” said DJ Satterfield, Life Line program director.

Life Line’s state-of-the-art equipment affords immediate stabilizing treatment for a complete range of emergency conditions and  helicopters boast all new avionics in their cockpits and global positioning systems in each helicopter guide the crew to accident scenes.

Life Line also takes pride in a neonatal transport program. Nurses hand-picked to provide care, must work in the NICU for at least a year before they are asked to become a neonatal flight nurse.

Community outreach and education are both important components of the Life Line program. Crew members are committed to competency and education with new and progressive trends in emergency medicine and critical care.