(O’FALLON, Mo.) — Officials with O’Fallon, Missouri-based Air Evac Lifeteam have announced they are increasing their  emergency air medical coverage in Iowa, by adding a new air medical base in Clarinda. The base, scheduled to open in April, will be located on the campus of Clarinda Regional Health Center, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Page County. Chuck Nordyke, CEO of Clarinda Regional Health Center, said he is excited to welcome Air Evac Lifeteam to the community. “Our EMS group is phenomenal, but the fact is that we’re very rural, and having air transport capabilities is another step in advancing exceptional care,” he said. “Our patients are our neighbors, families and friends, and this helicopter is needed in our community.”

CRHC had been without a medical helicopter on the pad since May, 2020, when officials with LifeNet pulled the LifeNet 2/3 Helicopter because reimbursement models for Medicare were not sustainable for continued operations at CRHC. LifeNet began operations at its Clarinda base in 2012 as part of an agreement between CRHC and Air Methods.

Brandon Buckman, program director for the Air Evac Lifeteam base, said the base will serve residents within a 70-mile radius. Each crew consists of a nurse, paramedic and pilot. The base brings 15 full-time jobs to the area, including pilots, medical crews, and an aviation maintenance technician. “Our crews are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide access to a higher level of care for patients who have a life- or limb-threatening medical injury or illness,” Buckman said. “We are excited to work with local EMS agencies, first responders and hospital employees. Our mission is to provide access to a higher level of emergency healthcare.”

The company currently operates 142 air medical bases in 15 states. Air Evac Lifeteam is a participating provider in the AirMedCare Network (AMCN), the nation’s largest air medical transport membership program with more than 320 air medical locations across 38 states. Members flown for a life- or limb-threatening injury or illness by an AMCN participating provider have no out-of-pocket costs for the flight. Whatever the member’s insurance – or third-party insurance – pays is considered payment in full. Annual household memberships start at $85.

(Radio Iowa) – The extreme cold created another roadblock for blood banks, and they are now hoping to catch up. LifeServe Blood Center spokesperson, Danielle West, says the weather overall has not been kind. “We canceled blood drives because of the snow accumulation a couple of weeks ago. And then last we saw quite a few donations fall off of the calendar because of the really cold temperatures,” West says. “We are hoping to boost the blood supply back up now that we are seeing some warmer temps.”

Lifeserve is part of the American Association of Blood Banks — and West says the impact has hit across the country. “If other areas are in need — like Texas for example because of all the winter weather they’ve had — they are looking for blood products. And if we have enough to share, we would help them as well,” according to West. “So we are hoping, number one that we can support our community hospitals, and then hopefully help areas like Texas that are in need right now.”

West says there are some people who are still worried about going out because of the pandemic — and they understand that. “We are all wearing masks, we’re all social distancing, so we are making it a very safe place for people to come. We’ve definitely seen less blood donors come out because of the pandemic,” West says, “I know some people are still fearful of coming out to do something like this. We make sure that they are safe from the minute they enter our facility until the minute they leave.” She says they have seen the pandemic spur some people to try donating blood. West says only a small percentage of the population actually donates blood and they encourage people to do it. “We’ve seen a lot of first-time donors through the pandemic that I think wanted to find a way to give back — and this is what they decided to do — which is great,” West says.

West says they are asking you to make an appointment to donate. She says you can go to lifeservebloodcenter.org and find a place to donate, or you can give them a call at 800-287-4903. West says they can answer any questions you might have about donating during the pandemic. LifeServe Blood Center provides blood and blood products to more than 120 hospitals located across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed two bills into law that outline the G-O-P’s main school spending plans for the next academic year. It means Iowa’s pre-K through 12 public schools will get a two-point-four percent increase in general per pupil spending. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, says that’s 179 more dollars for every child enrolled in Iowa schools today. “This is a solid funding bill that sets our schools on a predictable, reliable, fundable path into the future,” Sinclair says.

Democrats say the state has a significant budget surplus and could afford to spend more on schools. The per pupil spending calculation is based on this fall’s enrollment, which declined during the pandemic. Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says that will shortchange schools. “This bill will cut $7.4 million from preschool statewide,” Hogg says, “and result in the loss of over 2500 slots this fall.”

Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, says business groups have been emphasizing the importance of expanding preschool enrollment. “We are going backwards and we are hobbling our preschools for years to come with an inadequate funding increase,” she said, “imposing a formula for normal times on the most abnormal of situations.” Sinclair says she and other Republicans are working on a fix for preschools that will be considered later. The package the governor approved last (Tuesday) night provides an additional 27 million dollars that will be split among districts to deal with pandemic-related costs. “To meet the costs of in-person instruction related to substitute teachers,” Sinclair says, “related to additional transportation and related to additional cleaning and supplies, PPE and the like.”

That round of funding for schools is calculated based on how many days a district had students in classrooms during the fall semester. The package also provides more money for transportation expenses, to help geographically large rural districts cover the cost of long bus routes.